It is always a difficult time when someone has passed away, especially if you find yourself having to sort out finances on top and with difficult relatives or family relationships to manage.

Whether you are named as an executor in a Will or even where there is no Will, you have legal duties and there can be consequences if you get it wrong including personal financial risk.

Facing up to challenging beneficiaries and the people who think they should be beneficiaries who are ready to fight for a share can rapidly cause a degeneration in relations.

Wirral Globe: Contact Ian Amos at RMNJ on all probate issues Contact Ian Amos at RMNJ on all probate issues

Withholding information and the desire to block them out can be tempting but lead to misunderstandings and rapidly escalate matters into a full-blown dispute which can cost many thousands of pounds and much heartache to resolve.

Where there is no Will, the risk of failing to understand who is entitled could mean missing a beneficiary and getting sued personally later. You may be faced with some uncomfortable truths where someone becomes entitled due to an intestacy who you may feel does not deserve or is unfit to receive their share. Even when there is a Will it might deliberately exclude someone or fail to make adequate provision for example for a surviving unmarried partner, leading to difficult decisions and even legal challenges and claims.

In the face of all of this, the duty of an executor in addressing any dispute or claim against an estate is to remain neutral and failure to do so can result in personal liability for legal costs.

Wirral Globe: Contact Ray London-Smith at RMNJ on all probate issues Contact Ray London-Smith at RMNJ on all probate issues

Having an experienced legal professional to assist you in the administration can provide that independence and neutrality of approach which can be so hard to find when you are having to deal with problematic family members or claims against an estate.

Simply being neutral can be remarkably difficult to achieve in many circumstances and using an independent solicitor to manage the process should keep matters calm from the outset, will insure you against personal risks and most importantly with the benefit of their experience disagreements can be nipped in the bud or claims resolved quickly and economically.

Anyone handling an estate has a right to appoint a solicitor at the cost of the estate and invariably there is nothing to pay upfront with charges simply coming out of estate monies once they are available, so it might seem an obvious option to avoid all the heartache and risk.

Simply call Ray or Ian at RMNJ Solicitors for free fast initial advice now on 0151 666 8746