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How it all began..

I began my legal career many moons ago as an office junior. I had always been fascinated by law and felt that I had the skills required to become a lawyer. I was unable to follow the traditional route of a law degree followed by the legal practice course and a training contract, so I qualified as a lawyer by training through the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. Arguably, this route gave me more experience as I studied and worked at the same time. In total, I have worked in the legal industry for nearly a quarter of a century!

Why Wills & Probate?

When I started training, I always fancied working in criminal law and said that I would never practice in an area such as Wills & Probate as I couldn’t think of anything more boring. How wrong this turned out to be!!

My first position in a ‘fee earning’ role was in a Wills & Probate team and I have never looked back. Each day is completely different, and I get to meet and act for such a wide and diverse group of clients.

Importantly for me, I get to help clients at a time when they need help most – for example if they are facing their own mortality, or if they have lost a loved one. I help them to make sense out of chaos and to find a way forward.

The role is also very diverse. I could be at the hospital preparing a ‘death bed’ Will one day, the next day I could be administering an estate on behalf of a bereaved family and another day I could be mediating between sparring relatives.

I’m also often asked to give talks to members of the public about the importance of Wills and Powers of Attorney and I enjoy this immensely. I get to share my knowledge and wisdom, pass on important tips and hopefully gain some new clients along the way.

What Services do I Offer?

  • Wills: By making a Will, you can decide who administers your estate and also who will care for your children. You get to choose who will inherit your money and assets and in what proportions. A Will can also include funeral instructions. If you die without making a Will then the law sets out who gets what and the rules can be very unforgiving, using a one-size-fits-all approach.
  • Asset Protection: Through the use of Trusts in your Will, it is possible to protect assets from the effects of long-term care fees or your spouse or partner re-marrying. You can also make provisions for any children from a previous relationship. Trusts can further be included to provide for vulnerable beneficiaries such as a child with a mental or physical disability, whilst protecting their benefits.
  • Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA): An LPA allows you to appoint someone you trust as your Attorney to make decisions on your behalf should you become physically or mentally incapable of making decisions yourself. There are two types of LPA, a Property & Financial LPA and a Health & Welfare LPA. A professionally prepared LPA can also include instructions and guidance for your Attorneys to ensure that your wishes are followed.
  • Court of Protection Applications: If someone loses their mental capacity and they have not made an LPA then an application to the Court of Protection for a ‘Deputyship Order’ may be necessary. The Court of Protection is a court that has jurisdiction over the property, financial affairs and personal welfare of people who do not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves.
  • Administration of Estates: Following the death of a loved one, their estate will need to be dealt with. I can help apply for the Grant of Representation (commonly known as ‘Probate’) or I can deal with the administration of the whole estate from start to finish.
  • Trusts: Trusts can be used to protect both assets and beneficiaries. They include property trusts, discretionary trusts and personal injury trusts.

Costs

Of course, the legal work comes at a cost.

Although legal fees are famously not cheap, they reflect the high level of training and experience that is required to draft legal documents. It is usually much cheaper to get it done properly the first time round than to make mistakes when attempting to deal with legal issues yourself.

At Timms, we offer packages and fixed fee options, in addition to the traditional hourly charge out rates.

Management

As Head of Department, I’m privileged to lead a great team of lawyers and support staff. We have a team of 12 who work across 4 branches. We have one member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners https://www.step.org/, several members of Solicitors for the Elderly https://sfe.legal/ and all of the team are either Dementia Friend Champions or Dementia Friends https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/.

We pool our knowledge to assist each other and to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients. Of course, being a manager comes with its own unique trials and tribulations but I thoroughly enjoy it, particularly seeing the team grow and develop in their own individual careers.

Get in touch

If you require advice regarding Wills, Probate, Powers of Attorney, Deputyships or Trusts, please telephone me on 01332 364436 or e-mail me at j.robinson@timms-law.com.