Administering complex deceased estates.
Samantha trained at Burroughs Day Solicitors and qualified as a solicitor in 2008. She joined Clarke Willmott in 2017 after spending six years in the probate team at Co-op Legal Services.
Samantha specialises in the administration of deceased estates with a particular focus on the complex estates of high net worth individuals often involving intellectual property, business and foreign assets.
Samantha also advises on complex intestate estates involving large numbers of beneficiaries. These types of matters involve challenges such as having to identify those entitled under the rules of intestate succession and locating missing beneficiaries.
Fully qualified member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
How Samantha can help you
Samantha has experience of advising on all sizes of estates and all types of assets. She can assist in cases where the deceased left a Will or indeed in those cases where the deceased died without making a Will (intestate).
In addition to applying for Grants of Probate/administration, Samantha can:
- Advise on the inheritance tax payable within an estate and negotiate with HMRC to minimise that amount payable;
- Provide guidance on the method and timing of distributions from an estate;
- Advise on complex scenarios involving missing executors and beneficiaries, and defective or lost Wills.
Experience
- Administering high value complex estates with assets located in the UK and other jurisdictions including, Ireland, India, Singapore, Australia, the Caribbean and the US;
- Identifying the appropriate treatment of estates which include property, business assets and other complex financial arrangements such as the constitution of Will trusts;
- Dealing with a high value estate involving large collections of artwork and royalties;
- Advancing intestate estates involving in excess of 50 beneficiaries located in the UK and abroad;
- Advising on an ultra high net value estate involving complex business arrangements in the UK and the US;
- Negotiating with HM Revenue & Customs regarding the inheritance tax payable on an estate and the application of exemptions for lifetime gifts including those made as part of normal expenditure out of income;
- Addressing more complex scenarios involving obtaining Grants of Letters of Administration where the original Will has been lost, where an emergency grant is required to administer assets and where the authority of a first Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration has lapsed.
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The Legal 500, 2025