Probate Law: Executor for Mr. Harbottle’s estate

Probate Law: Executor for Mr. Harbottle’s estate

Question 1

According to British law, an estate is defined as ‘the total value of everything owned at the time of death, less any outstanding liabilities such as mortgages, overdrafts, loans and household bills’.⁴The law scenario for this paper involves a Probate issue of the validity of a will and its execution. The deceased is Mr. Harbottle who has left a self-prepared will requesting execution of it from an acquaintance. For some reason, when Mr. Harbottle died, he appointed Mr. Browne as his executor instead of his daughter Jane.According to British law:” ⁴According to British law: “The administrator of an estate is the person or people up to a maximum of four, appointed under wills and probate law, whose authority is vested following application to the Probate Registry that deal with affairs if one should die without making a will. The equivalent position in cases where there is a will is that of ‘executor’ who is specifically appointed by the deceased in the will.” ⁴Mr. Harbottle left clear instructions for the distribution of his estate in the form of a handwritten will; including who he wanted to manage his estate. The fact that the document is torn does not negate the validity of it. As long as there is no other instance of a will to dispute the one Mr. Browne is in possession of, the date is not an issue either. Neither instance, Mr. Browne’s name missing the letter ‘e’ and the will failing to represent Mr. Browne’s current address, negate the validity of his appointment as executor.

To perform the task of executor for Mr. Harbottle’s estate, Mr. Browne would need to apply for a Grant of Representation or Grant of Probate to legally access and distribute Mr. Harbottle’s assets, according to the will. He must follow these steps to complete the application[1]:

1. Complete a probate application form.
2. Complete an Inheritance Tax form.
3. Send off application.
4. Swear to an oath.

Even if Mr. Harbottle does not owe any taxes, Mr. Browne must complete the appropriate Inheritance Tax form¹. According to the law, any taxes must be paid before certification:“If there is tax to pay, you normally have to pay at least some of it before a grant of representation is issued to you.”¹There are different Inheritance Tax forms for different cases. Mr. Browne must choose the appropriate form. According to the law:

“Inheritance Tax is due at 40% on anything above the threshold of £325,000. If 10% of the estate is donated to charity this is reduced to 36%.” ³

At this point, the Probate administration may validate Mr. Browne’s appointment as executor, as long as no one such as his daughter Jane objects to the appointment. Mr. Browne’s address is not current on the will. However, if Mr. Browne has ever lived at the address listed in Mr. Harbottle’s will, the Probate will likely grant him the proper certification². Also, it does not appear that anyone is in dispute over Mr. Harbottle’s election of Mr. Browne.

The courts encourage soliciting help in cases where there is property involved. Mr. Browne may seekcounsel from Josie Morrison regarding Mr. Harbottle’s will; however, he is responsible for the actions taken on behalf of Mr. Harbottle’s estate. The cost of Ms. Morrison’s assistance will be paid from Mr. Harbottle’s estate, rather than by Mr. Browne. According to British Law: “For complex wills, it is not unusual for lay executors to appoint a solicitor to deal with matters on their behalf. The solicitor’s fees will usually be paid out of the net estate before distribution of the assets. They are not paid personally by the executors although they are the personal liability of the executors who are entitled to pay them from the assets of the estate.”⁴When he applies at Probate, he can also ask for guidance from them. Once he obtains the Grant, he must send copies of it to all of Mr. Harbottle’s creditors and debtors. This is the first step to paying any of the deceased’s debt and collecting any assets due

Mr. Browne’s primary obligations are only to pay any taxes owed and debts by Mr. Harbottle, collect.............