Services for individuals
Wills, probate, & trusts

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A surprisingly high number of people fail to make a will, despite the difficulties this can create for family and friends after their death. Even more fail to take advantage of the opportunities to minimise the tax which will be paid on their estate.

We can draw up simple wills for clients, or give more complex advice on tax planning, gifts and legacies, and trusts. Click here to go to the Taxation page.

Individuals can act as trustees or executors of wills, but there are advantages in using a trust company; it is likely to be longer-lived than an individual and may find it easier to remain neutral if there are disputes or problems.

Clients have the option of nominating our own trust company, the Russell-Cooke Trust Company, as a trustee or executor. It is non-profit-making, regulated by the Law Society and covered by the firm's professional indemnity policy.

Trusts are widely used as part of inheritance planning, both to minimise tax liabilities and as a way of controlling what happens to wealth and property after the owner's death.

Our trusts department manages a number of long-standing family trusts and deals with the legal issues that arise from them, working closely with the wills and probate department.
Many of its clients have a long-standing relationship with the firm, often going back decades.

Russell-Cooke can also help when disputes in relation to estates arise. The Contentious Probate section of the site contains useful information on this area.


Nil Rate Band Discretionary Trusts and the Phizackerley Case
Click here to view the information sheet.


Civil Partnership
The new Civil Partnership Act will have a significant impact on inheritance legislation. Our new Civil Partnership page gives more information and looks at other implications of the Act. Click here to go to the Civil Partnership page.


Wills and Trusts After The Finance Act 2006
The Finance Act 2006 came in to force on the 19th July 2006 and introduced far-reaching changes to the Inheritance Tax treatment of Wills and Trusts.

For a review of the main issues affecting Wills click here

For a review of the main issues affecting Trusts click here


Presentation notes from the recent Finance Act Seminar
Click here to download the powerpoint presentation slides.

Statutory Wills
Katrina Waters writes about Statutory Wills. Click here for the full article.


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Rita Bhargava Rita Bhargava
David Biddle David Biddle
Kieran Bowe Kieran Bowe
Jan Brocklehurst Jan Brocklehurst
Lewin Chapman Lewin Chapman
David Carson David Carson
Jean Coulter Jean Coulter
Roger Ford Jean Coulter
Sue Fowle Sue Fowle
Richard Frimston Richard Frimston
Pam Gale Pam Gale
Roz Gray Roz Gray
Narinder Johal Narinder Johal
Fiona MacDonald Fiona MacDonald
Helen MacLeod Helen MacLeod
Andrew Robinson Andrew Robinson
Anne Walter Anne Walter
Katrina Waters Katrina Waters
Vicky Wood Vicky Wood
Christopher Young Christopher Young
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We have wills and probate teams at the Putney office, led by Richard Frimston, and at Kingston led by Roger Ford.


Lewin Chapman, who is known to many clients as an experienced trustee, is still very active in his consultancy role.


The trusts team is also based in Putney and is led by David Biddle.

Click on a name on the left to bring up a biography.


telephone  For probate enquiries please call:

Putney - 020 8394 6208

Kingston - 020 8456 6111


telephone  For trust enquiries please call:
020 8394 6231



telephone  For all other private client enquiries please call:

Putney - 020 8394 6210

Kingston - 020 8546 6111



email  E-mail our helpdesk


Making a will

Before you consult us for the first time, you may find it helpful to complete a questionnaire. This will help you gather together all the relevant names and addresses and provide a brief summary of your assets.

Download the Wills Questionnaire MS Word  (MS Word)


The form should be filled in on a computer, saved, then attached to an email and sent to your contact at Russell-Cooke. If you are contacting Russell-Cooke for the first time please send the questionnaire to Helen MacLeod or Kieran Bowe at:

macleodh@russell-cooke.co.uk (Putney Office)

bowek@russell-cooke.co.uk (Kingston Office)


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If you are unable to use the above form or would rather handwrite your questionnaire please download a PDF version here. 

When completed please post it your contact at Russell-Cooke. If you are contacting Russell-Cooke for the first time post to:

Helen MacLeod
Russell-Cooke Solicitors
2 Putney Hill
London SW15 6AB

or

Kieran Bowe
Russell-Cooke Solicitors
Bishop's Palace House
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1QN

(If you do not have Acrobat PDF viewer, download it here free of charge.)

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Timely inheritence tax planning can save handing a significant chunk of your estate to the taxman.
Useful links

The Law Society
Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners
Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists
The Notaries Society
Solicitors for the Elderly
Public Guardianship Office


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