The Private Client Department of Bates nvh has an excellent reputation for the quality of its work and the sympathetic and friendly services offered by the department’s personnel.

The department is headed by Nicola Browett who is a partner in the firm and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. We offer private client services at each of our offices.

We are committed to the provision of effective legal solutions and excellent service for our clients.

We try to adopt a “holistic” approach to our Wills and Trusts advice. The making of a Will or a Trust gives the client the opportunity to consider their lifetime needs. We fortunately live in a time when improving healthcare has increased our life expectancy, and the making of a Will or Trust should just be a stepping stone in our lifetime journey. Too often do we spend time on considering asset distribution after death rather than asset enjoyment during life!

Our approach is therefore to look at both the client’s needs as well as the client’s long term intentions for gifts on death. We have a number of alternatives which provide the client with various options, particularly through Will and Trust planning.

What is a Will?

A Will is a document which comes into effect on death and will not only deal with the disposal of assets but can also create protection for young beneficiaries and other dependents who are unable to look after themselves. Very often a Will may create a form of Trust which will enable the protection of assets or on the other hand protect the beneficiaries of the Trust who, although having attained adulthood, remain vulnerable to external influences or are inexperienced at handling their own finances.

What is a Trust?

A Trust is a form of deed which places assets in the names of Trustees who have responsibility for protecting those assets for the benefit of the named beneficiaries. The Trust may be on the one hand “fixed” for the beneficiaries in specific shares or “discretionary” where the trustees will have responsibility for allocating assets to possible beneficiaries in such shares as the trustees may determine.

We advise on:

• Estate Planning using Wills, Trusts and Lifetime Giving
• General and Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Court of Protection
• Preserving Assets and Funding for Long Term Care
• Civil Partnerships
• General Asset Management
• Domicile and International Tax Planning
• Inheritance Tax and Capital Taxes
• Charitable Trusts