Settling an Inheritance Dispute Out of Court

The problem

Our client had recently lost her father. There was a disagreement between her and the executor of her father’s Will about how much her share of the estate was worth.

The process

Roche Legal worked with the client to handle negotiations with the executor’s solicitors. Our intention was to come to an estate settlement agreement everyone was happy with, without having to start formal court proceedings.

How this helped

Our client was trying to come to terms with the loss of her father but was facing a disagreement with the executor of his Will. The executor was close to finishing winding up the estate and had told the client she was due to receive £10,000.

The client didn’t believe this was an accurate reflection of the money that was in her late father’s accounts. We were able to help her obtain the evidence she needed to prove the full extent of the estate.

Once we had this information, we began negotiations with the executor’s solicitors. Based on the evidence found, our client received offers of £12,000, £15,000 and £22,000 before a final sum of £23,000 was agreed on. We felt this was a much fairer representation of the client’s father’s estate and what he would’ve wanted her to receive from it.

Throughout this process, we focused on communicating clearly, promptly and reasonably with the executor’s solicitor. Our aim was not only to ensure our client received the inheritance she was entitled to, but that the process was resolved as quickly and as painlessly as possible. By resolving the issue directly with the executor’s solicitors away from court, we were able to keep legal costs to a minimum for both parties.