Withers Graduate Careers

Estates, Succession and Trusts

The work of the EST team

The team provides advice in a number of areas such as probate, legal, accounting and management services often dealing with the international aspects of probate and succession. Advice is also given on setting up and managing trusts.

As a trainee you can expect to work with a broad range of clients, including professional and individual trustees, executors and administrators, banks, and beneficiaries (both individuals and charities).

Emily Copson

Emily Copson

University attending/attended: Birmingham

PgDL/LPC institution: College of Law, Guildford

Seats experienced: Charities, Litigation,
Family and EST

My experience in the EST team

As a trainee, I assisted on a number of files and had the opportunity to manage my own case load. A number of my files were estates where a charity had been appointed Executor and had instructed us to act on their behalf; others were where we had been instructed by a member of the family.

I reviewed paperwork and documents to identify assets in an estate and then made enquiries to particular asset holders such as banks, building societies and share registrars in order to find out more specific information. When all of the assets and liabilities had been identified and the size of an estate established, I helped to research and advise on the inheritance tax implications.

I prepared a number of tax returns for estates and trusts that were being wound up and dealt with collecting in the assets once the Grant was obtained. I attended meetings and liaised directly with Executors and Administrators advising them of their duties and responsibilities. I drafted Deeds of Variation and assisted in the final distributions of estates to beneficiaries.