Lucy is a Partner in the Wills, Probate and Estate Planning Team.
Lucy joined Gardner Leader in October 2005 as a paralegal, she completed her training contract and qualified into the inheritance protection team in April 2008. Lucy became an Associate in July 2013 and a Senior Associate in 2015.
Wills, Probate and Estate Planning
Lucy advises clients on all aspects of their inheritance planning including inheritance tax considerations when preparing simple and complex Wills and lifetime gifts.
Lucy acts for families and professionals on all aspects of administering both simple and complex estates, the preparation of lasting powers of attorney and the preparation and administration of trusts. She also deals a wide range of Court of Protection matters, advising the elderly with reviewing care home contracts and their ability to receive NHS Continuing Healthcare funding.
Some of Lucy’s specialisms include advising individual clients on estate planning for inheritance tax and care fees, working closely with a number of charity clients on estate administration matters and assisting the elderly.
Work Highlights
- Administering substantial taxable and complex estates on behalf of executors
- Advising on an Intestacy and the complexities of locating unknown beneficiaries
- Advising on deeds of variation to ensure inheritance tax liabilities are minimised and to reflect settlements that have been reached with charity clients to avoid the necessity of obtaining court orders
- Assisting and liaising with Gardner Leader’s Contested Probate team particularly in areas of disputed Wills
- Drafting Wills to include trust arrangements to ensure that assets are protected against potential care fee liabilities and inheritance tax
- Reviewing complex care home contracts
- Advising deputies appointed by the Court of Protection on the management of the affairs for a disabled man who received substantial damages from a personal injury claim