Will writing, LPAs and probate in Robertsbridge

I cover Robertsbridge itself and the neighbouring villages along the Hastings line and the High Weald, including Etchingham. I also regularly visit clients in the smaller settlements between Robertsbridge, Battle and Heathfield — if you're not sure whether you're in my catchment, please ask when you book the free phone call. The signing visit is included in the quoted price for every service, so there's no extra travel charge wherever you are in the area, and no need to come into an office.

Most solicitors charge a percentage of the estate with hourly fees billed on top, so the final figure isn't knowable when you agree to it — and around Robertsbridge and Etchingham, where the property is usually the largest asset by some distance, that open-ended structure makes executors understandably uneasy. I don't charge a percentage of the estate, and there's no hourly billing behind it either — there's a fixed fee for an initial executor and estate review, a quoted fee for whichever jobs you want help with, and a fixed quotation for the full administration. You get the same paperwork done to the same standard, with one person handling it throughout, and I'll always give you a clear written quote before you commit. The one part that stays with you is the Grant application itself, which you make to HMCTS as a personal applicant — it's a reserved legal activity, so I guide you through it rather than submit it for you.

Yes — I'm available seven days a week, including evenings, with no extra charge for out-of-hours visits. Probate conversations often need more than one sitting, and many families in the Robertsbridge area prefer a Saturday morning when relatives can travel down from London on the Hastings line, or a quiet weekday evening once the working day is over. I'll fit around whatever suits you and the wider family, and there's no rush at any stage — these are decisions and conversations that deserve unhurried, properly patient time at the kitchen table.

Most estates around here have the same broad shape: a Wealden property, one or two bank accounts, perhaps an ISA or a small share portfolio, and personal effects. I value the assets, prepare the inheritance tax return for HMRC whether or not any tax is due, and talk you through the Grant application — which you make yourself to HMCTS as executor, because preparing it for you is a reserved legal activity I'm not authorised to carry out. Once the Grant is issued I deal with the banks, close accounts, settle debts and distribute what's left to the beneficiaries. You sign a handful of forms; I handle the chasing, the queries, and the deadlines.

Of course. The initial conversation is a phone call and the detail comes on paper afterwards, so there's no journey for anyone to make, and then I come out to them for the signing — which is especially helpful for older clients or anyone who finds travel difficult. Family members are very welcome to sit in, and I'm happy to coordinate timings around relatives coming down from London or further afield. For probate work in particular, having the paperwork spread out on a familiar kitchen table — rather than across a solicitor's desk — tends to make a difficult conversation feel a great deal more manageable.

Most couples choose the Complete Peace of Mind Package — mirror wills, both types of LPA for both partners, and letters of wishes. That's six professionally drafted documents in one process, and it works out cheaper than arranging each piece separately. I'll give you the exact figure on our first phone call, and OPG registration fees are payable separately to the government.