Welcome

Worthy Legal Services provides simple advice to deal with life's legal needs.

Associate Member of the Society of Will Writers & Estate Practitioners

About Us

Based in Winchester, we serve Hampshire, it's surrounding counties and London. Our consultations are conducted on a face-to-face basis at a time and location to suit you. We work with clients of financial advisers, accountants and funeral directors. All at fixed and inclusive prices (no hidden costs) communicated before work commences.

Wills

Will's don't necessarily have to be complicated or expensive, but simply having a Will should make life easier for your family and dependents at a difficult time and can help to reduce tax. Should you die without a Will (dying Intestate), your assets will be distributed according to the law (The Rules of Intestacy), and not according to your wishes. A poorly drafted or executed Will could also mean the Rules of Intestacy need to be followed to some degree if not fully.
If you die intestate In England and Wales and are married with children and your estate is worth more than £250,000, your partner will only get the first £250,000. They will get a Life Interest in half of the remaining estate. The rest will go to your children. If your assets are worth less than £250,000, your children will get nothing. If you are not married or in a civil partnership, your partner won't inherit under the Rules of Intestacy. Also, if you have separated but not divorced, your ex-partner will inherit the first £250,000 of your estate. If you are childless and single, assorted family members could take varying shares of your estate. If no one claims your estate, it will pass to the Crown. Wills should be regularly reviewed to ensure they continue to be relevant. Other trigger points for reviewing your will include births, marriages, separation, divorce and remarriage.

LPAs

Mental and physical incapacity can hit at any time, which is why planning ahead to ease the potential burden on loved ones is recommended. Estimates suggest more than 1 million people in the UK will have dementia by 2025. Sadly one in five over the age of 85 already suffer, and this is significantly higher among women than men.

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) gives other individual(s) the legal authority to look after specific aspects of your financial affairs or health and welfare should you lose the capacity to do so. It's not just for the elderly, younger people may become incapacitated through accident or illness so everyone should consider LPAs.

Probate

When a person dies, someone has to deal with the deceased's estate. This person (or persons) is called the Personal Representative. They will collect in all the money, pay any debts and distribute the estate to those people entitled to it; the beneficiaries. This whole process is called Estate Administration and part of the process may involve having to apply for Probate or Letters of Administration. A ‘Grant of Representation' from the Probate Registry gives the Personal Representative the legal authority to administer the estate regardless of whether a Will exists or not.

Our probate and estate administration services are provided in partnership with Kings Court Trust Ltd. Kings Court Trust are leading specialists in this field and can deal with every aspect of the process.

We can take on all of the Executors' liabilities and adopt full legal responsibility for administering an estate, from beginning to end.

As part of our service, you have access to our free Probate Advice Line and we'll happily arrange a no-obligation home visit to discuss what tasks need to be completed.

We will provide a guaranteed, all-inclusive fixed price to carry out all the necessary work so you know from the outset exactly how much it will cost. This means there are no hidden costs and no worry of a “ticking meter".

We give clear, easy to understand advice and avoid legal jargon. We provide every family with a dedicated Case Manager who will provide you with regular updates.

FREE Pension Review

In conjunction with Profile FS, Worthy Legal Services offers free of charge pension reviews to
help people potentially boost their income in retirement.

This will be discussed during your consultation but is also offered as a standalone service and
specifically looks at the effect of pension charges on your funds. We will see if you
can benefit from transferring to a more competitively charged plan. The result could be more
money in your pension when you come to retire - without contributing a penny more! Or at
the very least you will know whether or not your money is in a competively charging scheme.