Christmas Opening – Please note that our Annitsford Office will be closed from Tuesday 24th December, our Newcastle and Ashington Offices will be closed from Friday 20th December until Thursday 2nd January 2025.
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Being injured as a result of someone else’s negligence is a serious matter. It can have huge implications for you and your family. Our legal experts have a wealth of experience in handling personal injury cases.
It’s a sad fact that not all medical or dental treatment has a successful outcome. At Browell Smith & Co Solicitors our team of highly-skilled solicitors have the legal and medical expertise to assist you when you need it most.
Browell Smith & Co Solicitors’ experienced and dedicated family law team prides itself on providing outstanding service to our clients. We will listen to you, explain to you your options and we are committed to finding our clients the best possible outcome.
We understand organising your affairs for later life can be a daunting prospect. At Browell Smith & Co Solicitors our experts are here to make this process as straightforward as possible.
Browell Smith & Co Solicitors understand that moving home can be one of the most exciting but also most stressful times of your life. This is why we feel it’s important you have the right legal team to guide you through the process.
Browell Smith & Co Solicitors have been serving the North East for more than 20 years, helping over 160,000 clients through the good times, the sad times, in sickness and in health.
Making a will and organising your personal legal affairs can seem like a daunting prospect.
At Browell Smith & Co Solicitors, you can be assured of the high degree of skill and care required to give you peace of mind. Our expert solicitors and legal team will make sure that all legal formalities are dealt with efficiently and effectively. We have specialist advisers on hand to guide you through all your personal affairs, ensuring that you experience a thoroughly professional, confidential, and friendly service.
With every will that we draft we make sure it reflects the circumstances and wishes of each of our clients. Our will-writing service involves us listening to you and then writing a will that reflects your personal circumstances and wishes. Once you have spoken in-depth to one of our team, we will ensure that your assets are passed to your chosen beneficiaries on your death.
There are many things you need to consider when writing a will, at Browell Smith & Co our experienced team will focus on every detail and wish. Some wills contain trusts and inheritance tax planning, include letters of wishes giving small mementos to family members and friends as well as trusts which allow you to secure succession to your chosen beneficiaries.
Get in touch to discuss your options
Having regularly used solicitors for a range of services, I turned to Browell, Smith & Co a number of years ago. Without a doubt they are the most professional, organised and efficient. I cannot recommend them highly enough. - Dr Jonathan Pugh
Everything has been excellent. Browells have dealt with family wills and house sales, excellent service with all of them, thank you!
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We offer a fixed-fee, tailored package which includes:
A house trust is where you allow anyone to occupy your share of the family home for as long as they want to or until they die, then on their death, your share passes to your chosen beneficiaries.
If the trust is properly drafted, it can allow your house to be sold (should your surviving spouse / partner or other occupant wish to move home), in which case the trust can be transferred to the new house. You can also elect to end the life interest if your spouse or partner remarries or enters into a civil partnership or starts cohabiting with someone, at which point your share in the house would then pass to your chosen beneficiaries.
In order for the house trust to work, you will need to own your house as tenants in common. If you own the house as beneficial joint tenants we can arrange for you to “sever the joint tenancy”, so that you hold it as tenants in common. This will enable your share to pass to your chosen beneficiaries in your will.
Many people are concerned that when they die, their spouse or partner will enter into another relationship or remarry, in which case their estate could pass to that new spouse or partner or even their children, and your beneficiaries would miss out.
This is of particular concern where couples are young or have children from a previous relationship whose inheritance they wish to protect. By including a House Trust in your Will, if your spouse or partner does enter into a new relationship, your share in the property will always be protected for your children or other chosen beneficiaries.
The house trust can also be used to protect your share of your property for your children or other chosen beneficiaries should your spouse or partner go into long term residential care after your death.
If your surviving spouse or partner were to go into a care home after your death, the family home may need to be sold to pay for care fees or a legal charge may be placed against the property. Without the benefit of a house trust the entire value of the property could be used to pay for your surviving spouse or partner’s care. However, by having a house trust in your will, your spouse or partner will not inherit your share of the house outright meaning that means that if it is sold, the sale proceeds cannot be used to pay their care fees.
At Browell Smith & Co Solicitors we understand the concerns you may have about ensuring your wishes are followed should you lack the capacity to make decisions yourself in the future.
Living wills are a means by which you can set out your wishes should this situation arise, allowing you to make decisions on medical treatment including matters of life sustaining treatment. You should also consider the option of making a Lasting Power of Attorney (Health and Welfare)
We want your long-term future to be happy and as free of financial worries as possible and our team of experts can answer all of your concerns about funding for long term care. You cannot avoid paying care home fees simply by transferring your house into the names of your children or other relations while you are still alive.
If you are thinking about transferring your property into someone else’s name, please contact us for advice. Including a house trust in your will may be one of the ways you can protect assets for the next generation.
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Request a callback and our team will be back in touch as quickly as possible for a free initial consultation. We're continuing to deliver a quality service and our teams are available to take new enquiries and manage existing caseloads via calls and/or video conferencing.