Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning



Baker Stirling Legal Services Ltd. / Wills & Estate Planning, Powers of Attorney, Probate Services & In-House Legal Services

Baker Stirling's wills, trusts and estate planning team provides a personal and professional service to help you plan for the future whilst safeguarding your financial security.

Using tools such as wills and trusts, we will help you preserve and protect your interests and your legacy. We will ensure that you receive the best advice to enable you to exercise as much choice and control as possible over your financial affairs, as your wealth is transferred from one generation to the next. We advise on tax-efficient structures for lifetime giving and on the holding of assets through the use of trusts and other asset protection structures.

Wills and trusts are a key aspect of succession planning, and we are able to advise on the appropriate type of will and/or trust to suit your needs. A will is a legal document containing your instructions and wishes concerning how your property and possessions are to be distributed after your death. It is the best way to ensure that the people you want to inherit your money, property and possessions actually do, and it makes sorting out your affairs easier for your family. If you die without making a will then you are said to die "intestate", and it is left to the law to determine who will administer your estate and who inherits what. The consequences of this may be contrary to your wishes.

In order to protect yourself and your loved ones, it is important to regularly review and update your will and your estate plan. Not only does the law change, but so does your financial situation and your family structure. Baker Stirling has extensive experience in advising on wills, trusts and estate planning to ensure that you can minimise the amount of taxes due on your estate, both during your lifetime and after you die. We act as professional trustees and executors for many of our clients, working closely with other professional trustees and family members as appropriate.

Our clients include both UK resident and non-UK resident and domiciled high net worth individuals, families and trusts. Many of our clients are landowners and business owners. We advise on how best to deal with assets in the UK and worldwide, and where necessary we are able draw on our extensive network of associates in other jurisdictions to help achieve the best advice and outcomes for our clients.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows you to appoint a person that you trust to make decisions on your behalf. It enables you to plan in advance the decisions you want to be made on your behalf if you lose capacity to make them yourself. There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney:


Property and Financial Affairs

This gives your Attorney the authority to deal with buying and selling your property, your bills, bank accounts and investments. This power of attorney can be used while someone is still capable but has chosen to delegate powers to their Attorney.


Health and Welfare

This covers decisions about health and medical treatment but can only be used if someone is incapable of dealing with such matters themselves.

A Lasting Power of Attorney cannot be used until it is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian. Baker Stirling can advise you on which LPA is most appropriate for you, help you secure and fill in and register the appropriate forms, and generally support you throughout the Lasting Power of Attorney process