Introduction

In this blog, I will be writing about estate planning in England and Wales (the rest of the UK has different rules, in which I am not expert). By "estate planning", I mean mainly:

• Wills
• Intestacy
• Inheritance tax (which will probably be the main thing I write about)
• Probate
• Powers of attorney
• The Court of Protection
• Lifetime gifts
• Trusts

And I will be explaining what all of those things are about, in the coming months. This blog is not intended for experts: instead, my intention is to write about these subjects for the benefit of the people who might be affected by them.

I am a solicitor, and STEP member, who has worked in this field of law for around 20 years.