Home Visit Service:
For clients with mobility and visual impairment.
We recognise that getting around can be problematic for clients with a visual or mobility impairment, therefore, we can, by prior arrangement, visit you and take your instructions in the comfort of your own home.
Professional and sensitive.
Whilst much of our work involves Residential Conveyancing, we also operate departments dealing with the setting up and administration of Wills, Probate and Powers of Attorney; Employment Law including redundancy and compromise agreements.
We would be delighted to help you with any of these matters.
Conveyancing/ Property Law
Areas we cover
- First-time buyers
- New-builds
- Residential conveyancing
- Transfer of equity
- Equity release
- Deed of trust
- Property disputes
- Tenancy agreements
- Buy-to-let
- Right-to-buy
- Independent legal advice
* We are able to help you with a variety of property law or conveyancing matters. Please give us a call if you are unsure what type of service you require and we will talk you through it.
* Having all been through moves ourselves, we are well aware how stressful and time-consuming buying and/or selling can be. We know, therefore, that we must maintain contact with you at all times. We constantly update our files relating to your business and do not wait to be “chased” as some solicitors do.
* We have many links to local estate agents – we are on first-name terms with most of them! – and we can recommend someone to you if you have yet to put your property on the market. If, on the other hand, you already have an agent, we can work with them to ensure that your transaction is dealt with swiftly, from putting your property on the market to accepting an offer and finally to completion.
* The best way to get an idea of our services is to have a chat; please call to talk about your ideas with one of our conveyancers or make an appointment with one of us. We will be more than happy to tell you about the services we can offer to fit your particular needs.Wills
We can draft your Will for you or update it. You tell us your wishes for your estate and we can initially produce a draft Will and then finalise it once you are happy with it.
Probate
If you have been appointed as an executor or beneficiary of a Will we are more than happy to help you through this difficult time. There are many rules governing the disposition of the property and assets of the deceased and we are always happy to explain these rules to you.
As a firm we work hard to ensure that costs are kept as low as possible, knowing that the last thing you want is a large legal bill on top of everything else.
If you would like to know more about our Probate services, Nicola would be pleased to answer your questions.Powers of Attorney
What is an LPA?
While you retain the mental capacity, you can set up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), which empowers someone you appoint to make decisions on your behalf. This person is known as an attorney, while you, the person who sets up the LPA, are called the donor.
There are two types of LPA:
- A Property and Financial Affairs LPA covers decisions about the donor’s property and money.
- A Personal Welfare LPA covers decisions about the donor’s healthcare and personal welfare.
Why do I need an LPA?No-one wants to think about loss of mental capacity but it can happen at any age, due to illness or accident. If you lose capacity, no-one has an automatic right to handle your affairs, not even next-of-kin. The Office of the Public Guardian has to appoint a deputy to handle your affairs under these circumstances.
This can pose real problems at a time when the smooth running of your financial affairs is essential for you and your general welfare. To solve this problem you can create a Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs.
This is a legal document in which you appoint one or more persons to assist you with your financial affairs, usually family members or friends. It can be tailored to your wishes and have restrictions within it. You do not give up the right to deal with your affairs yourself – the LPA is simply a safeguard there for such time as you may need it.
The great thing is that an LPA can now be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian and unlike the old-style Enduring Power of Attorney it can be used immediately one has lost capacity.You can also make a Personal Welfare LPA. This covers decisions about healthcare as well as personal welfare and can only be used once a person has lost mental capacity. In addition you can restrict or specify the types of decisions your attorney can make, or you can allow him/her to make all decisions relating to your welfare on your behalf.
We can advise you fully on what the two LPA’s cover and help you to decide whether you need to make one or not. If you do decide to go ahead, we can fill out the forms for you, which can be quite daunting on your own, and then either register them immediately or at some later date – whatever you wish.
Document-witness
- We offer a document-witnessing service. If you need your signature witnessed on certified copies of identification or other documents, we are more than happy to do this for you.
- To guarantee that someone is available to do this for you whilst you wait, please call us beforehand to arrange an appointment.
Employment Law – redundancy and compromise agreements
Whether you are leaving your employment voluntarily or being made redundant, we will ensure that the best terms of severance are reached for you. We will advise you on your rights under employment law and help you to negotiate the best redundancy package and / or termination payment.
Sometimes, for example, our clients have been deterred by restrictive covenants in their contracts. We will help you through these and similar difficulties by providing the best advice and support, throughout the process.
In addition we can help with compromise agreements offered by employers; and in many cases at no cost to you!