Contesting a Will

At the end of a person's life, they have to make important decisions as to who they want to give their estate to when they die. Most of the time, the death of a loved one sees the estate go to the right people and there is no problem. From time to time, however, a difficulty will arise.

Our inheritance dispute solicitors can help where families or parts of families believe that something has gone wrong, this may involve bringing or defending a challenge to the validity of a Will.

It may also involve a claim, under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, for reasonable provision from an estate. Generally, people in England and Wales are entitled to leave their estate to whoever they choose. In many foreign countries, it is compulsory to leave a certain proportion of your estate to your spouse and children, but that does not apply here. It is, however, possible for a certain small class of beneficiaries, principally widows/widowers and the deceased’s children (whatever their age), to bring a claim under the 1975 statute and to ask the Court to award them reasonable provision from the estate. Battens can make or defend claims where family members feel that they were unjustly overlooked when the Will was drafted.

It is important to act swiftly since the applicable time limits can be very short, so please do not delay before contacting our inheritance dispute and probate solicitors.

Here are some of our many successful claims:

• Suing the children: Battens settles long-running inheritance dispute