An Introduction To Probate

£995.00 + VAT

This course is aimed at people new to estate administration or who are changing or adding to their knowledge or discipline and anyone who is looking for a basic refresher.

Through detailed documentation and video modules, it is designed to look at good practice and procedure as well as incorporating relevant issues of law and basic inheritance tax.

When you buy this product you get PDF documentation to follow along with links to around 5hrs 45 mins of video for you to watch.

This is a modular course intended to be followed in sequence at your own pace. Some of the 10 sessions are longer than others. You may find some straightforward and others you may need to spend longer assimilating the detail, such as module 6 on tax during the administration. The advantage of this approach is you can go over and over the areas you find more challenging until you feel confident without feeling you are holding up anyone else or being rushed.

As a result of completing the course you will:

Be able to set up and manage a Probate file
Have a series of checklists and questionnaires for use in the office
Be aware of ancillary services of assistance to practitioners to make the administration more effective and efficient
Be able to prepare relevant documents to obtain a Grant of Representation both online and using the paper form
Understand the impact of IHT on estates and how to complete the IHT 205 form
Have an understanding of estate accounts and how the use of software may assist in their compilation

We recommend that you work through the modules in order since they are the for the most part the pattern followed in many estate administration cases. It is, however, up to you.

Each module contains a pack of information comprising:

Notes to read
Resources, like checklists and examples, to help you in practice
Suggested further reading to encourage you to research the law and understand how it develops and where it can be found. This is a necessary skill as the law never stays the same, particularly tax law
A set of multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge once you have studied the notes. The answers are also provided. If you are struggling to understand something send us an email to lawskillsoffice@lawskills.co.uk and we will do our best to help you
For some of the modules, there are recorded interviews with me Gill Steel talking to another expert or provider of solutions to help the practitioner. These should provide you with some interesting insight to practice in general
There is a simple case study that has been used throughout and where appropriate relevant completed forms based on the case study are included in the appropriate module. Again, this is designed to help you follow through on a simple non-taxable estate

The course covers ten modules as follows:

Overview of the complete process and the importance of locating the last valid Will of the deceased.
Professional rules and file management – compliance with codes of conduct, risk assessment, anti-money laundering requirements and what constitutes good file management to set the process off on a firm footing.
Information gathering following death – starting with the initial contact and interview with the personal representatives of the deceased to obtain a full picture of the deceased’s assets and liabilities.
Intestate succession – which governs what happens where there is no valid Will and will examine the application of the intestacy rules.
Obtaining the relevant Grant of Representation – which will look at the various forms of Grant and other court tools and the all new online probate application process.
Overview of tax during the administration of an estate to include Inheritance Tax, the IHT 205 form, capital gains tax and income tax.
The effect of post-death re-arrangements to the devolution of an estate to include Disclaimers, Deeds of Variations and Deeds of Arrangement.
Settling debts and distributing the estate – will look at what happens after the Grant has been obtained and the legal principles relating to legacies and devises; an examination of the law and practice relating to administration and distribution.
The Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependents) Act 1975 permits eligible applicants to make a claim for financial provision from a person’s estate and if successful this alters the devolution of the state. This module will examine the framework of the Act and refer to decided cases.
Estate accounts and file closure will consider what should be included in estate accounts; obtaining approval to the accounts and receiving receipts from beneficiaries, concluding the estate and checking the file before closure. There is an example of a set of Estate Accounts prepared using Probate Plus software.