Wills, Trust, Estate Planning and Probate Solicitors in Derby
Planning for the future is more than a legal task; it’s a way to protect and honour your life’s work and care for those you love.
Our expert wills and probate solicitors can help you plan your estate in a way that minimises tax and protects your wealth, for those you leave behind.
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How Our Specialist Wills and Probate Solicitors in Derby Can Help
Our solicitor have the expertise and experience to help you will all aspects of estate planning. We can help you with;
- Will writing – Draft a will that ensures your loved ones receive what your want them to.
- Estate planning – Structure your estate in a way that minimises your tax liabilities and maximises how much your loved ones receive.
- Trusts – Protect your money, property and investments so you can pass them on to the next generation.
- Inheritance tax planning – subject to estates over £325,000, we can help you minimise the amount of inheritance tax your family has to pay when you’re gone.
- Lasting powers of attorney – Appoint a trusted person to look after your financial affairs and make decisions on your behalf if you lose your mental capacity.
- Deputyship – by becoming a deputy for your loved one, you are able to make those decisions on their behalf and ensure that their interests remain protected.
- Grant of probate – Property and assets are frozen until the probate registry authorizes an executor via a grant of probate. We can help you prepare your application.
- Contentious probate – We can help if you, a family member, or beneficiary feel that the executor of a will isn’t managing it properly or if someone contests a will.
- International probate – Owning assets in more than one country probate and estate administration very complex and time consuming. We can help
Why Choose Rothera Bray For Wills and Probate?
Rothera Bray has significant experience and expertise in wills and probate. From creating wills and trusts to full estate planning to more complex matters like international probate.
After you get in touch with us, we will assigned a member of our private client team. They will provide a personal service and work with you to find out more about your situation and assets. We can then give you the best legal advice to your needs.
We’ll support and advise you from start to finish. You will be kept updated on progress at all times.
Several of our solicitors specialise in wills and probate. Some are members of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
We offer free will registration through Certainty, the National Will Register.
Where needed, we can draw on the experience of our Contentious Wills and Probate team in relation to wills, estates, trusts and Court of Protection disputes.
A network of independent financial advisors also works closely with us and we can refer you for financial advice
Advice can be given to help you reduce the amount of inheritance tax payable on your estate so your inheritance can go further.
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FAQs
It is important to make a will, regardless of how much money or assets you own. There are several reasons for this;
- If you die without a will, there are rules called the Rules of Intestacy’ that dictate how your money, assets and property is distributed. This might not be the way you want you want things to happen
- If you’re not married or in a registered civil partnership, you cannot inherit from each other unless you have a will. If one of you dies, it could cause serious financial problems for the other.
- If you have children, you need a will to make arrangements for them if one or both of you die. If you don’t, the courts will take responsibility over them until they can find a guardian.
- If you have assets that are subject to inheritance tax, a will could be a good way to reduce the amount of inheritance tax you pay.
- If your life or circumstances change, so might your wishes. For example, if you and your partner split up, you might want to write them out of an existing will.
Making a will is a very straightforward process. It is possible to create a Will yourself. However, there are certain requirements needed to ensure the document is legally binding. A Wills & Probate solicitor can ensure that these requirements are met so that your wishes and intentions are carried out.
If your estate and assets, or how you wish to divide them, are complex, then a solicitor can also help you draft a Will that achieves your wishes legally.
At Rothera Bray, we have a member of the Wills & Probate team available at each of our local Nottingham, Leicester and Derby branches.
Our solicitors can also visit you at your home or in hospital if you are unable to visit one of our offices.
Simply contact our team today to arrange an appointment.
We offer a straight-forward approach and our focus is on ensuring you have the right information and guidance.
A single, straightforward Will with no trusts costs £350 plus VAT or £600 plus VAT for Simple Mirror Wills and unlike many firms, this includes free registration with Certainty, the National Wills Register, saving you an additional £30 (incl. VAT) registration fee per Will.
Probate is the legal process of administering a deceased person’s estate. This involves:
- Identifying and valuing the deceased person’s assets and liabilities
- Paying off any debts and taxes owed by the estate
- Distributing the remaining assets to the beneficiaries named in the will
- If the deceased didn’t write a will, dividing those assets according to the rules of intestacy
- Carrying out the deceased person’s wishes as far as possible
A Trust is a legal way of protecting family assets.
You can transfer part of your estate to a trustee who is responsible for managing the trust before passing it on to the beneficiary when the time comes. This might be when they turn 18 for example.
The main benefit of a trust is their tax efficiency. Parents can transfer assets into a trust to to reduce the inheritance tax liability their children will be subject to.
Melissa Merry
Consultant
Melissa Merry is a Consultant in our Wills and Probate department, with over 30 years of experience in private client work. Melissa is based at our Derby city centre branch.
Amelia Carruthers
Senior Associate Solicitor
Amelia Carruthers is a Senior Associate at Rothera Bray’s Derby office and is experienced in drafting wills, lasting powers of attorney, administering estates and providing tax advice and planning.
Carly Harwood
Senior Associate Solicitor
Carly Harwood is a Senior Associate Solicitor in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Derby office.
Amy Goodwin
Associate Solicitor
Amy Goodwin is an Associate in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate team and is based at our Derby office.
Lisa Warren
Senior Paralegal
Lisa Warren is a Senior Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate team and is based in Derby.
Beth Ashton
Paralegal
Beth Ashton is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Derby Office.
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Posted 3 December 2025
I have used Rothera Bray solicitors several times over the years. For wills, probate and LPA, I can't recommend Sarah Soo enough.
Kate Autaury
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Posted 26 November 2025
We were very happy with the help and service given by Julie when preparing our wills.
Abigail
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Posted 26 November 2025
Having previously used one of the legacy solicitor firms we returned to the now enlarged Rothera Bray for preparing our Wills and LPAs. As before, the service was both professional and efficient whilst retaining its local feel and knowledge.
Stuart
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Posted 25 November 2025
I used Rothera Bray for probate on the sad passing of my mum, Alison Richardson was professional polite understanding and prompt at this stressful and upsetting time of my life and kept me informed of the progress. Thanking you.
A Thurman
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Posted 20 November 2025
Amy has been wonderful, she has explained everything to us in layman's terms from start to finish. She has been pleasant and thoroughly professional throughout the whole process and is a credit to Rothera Bray and deserves to be congratulated!
Dave & Alison
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Posted 3 November 2025
I received support from Laura to register an Enduring Power of Attorney that had been set up many years ago. Laura was knowledgeable, clearly explained the steps we had to go through and the cost. She was kind and patient with my mum who has dementia and was proactive in progressing the activity. I would definitely recommend working with her.
Fiona McLaglen
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Posted 29 October 2025
Excellent service provided. Would recommend to friends and family. Nelissa was especially helpful.
Laura Taylor
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Posted 22 October 2025
LPA Excellent service: very professional and friendly solicitor dealing with 91 years old Italian-speaking person.
Aurora Bubbico
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Posted 14 October 2025
Many thanks to Nelissa Hicks at Rothera Bray Loughborough for her extremely thorough and efficient support. We found her service to be professional, reliable and friendly.
R Williams
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Posted 14 October 2025
Following the sad loss of my mother we sort the professional services of Rothera Bray in particular Nelissa Hicks. Since our very first face to face meeting with Nelissa and her colleague both my husband and I felt confident and thoroughly informed of the process we were now undertaking. We were contacted regularly with updates and any query raised was dealt with by Nelissa immediately. This gave us peace of mind at a difficult time. We were so impressed with the team at Rothera Bray that we are using their conveyancing department for a house sale too which has proved to us the professionalism is throughout the company. I would highly recommend this company if you need sound advice from a pro active, trustworthy solicitor.
S Garner
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Posted 9 October 2025
I recently used this firm to deal with my late aunts estate. They were very knowledgeable, efficient and approachable. The whole process was explained in detail and I was kept updated along the way. A special mention goes to Sarah Simpson as her customer service was excellent. She dealt with everything I asked or needed doing straight away and I trusted her completely to do what she said she would. A rarity in this day and age. I would highly recommend this firm of solicitors .
S.Hickey
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Posted 7 October 2025
Friendly welcome and easily understood explanation of the work that would be carried out. I will use Rothera Bray again should further work be required.
Les Potter
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