PERSONAL MATTERS – WILLS, PROBATE AND TRUSTS SPECIALIST
Whitworth Law is a Bath based independent private client legal practice, specialising in wills, probate, estate planning and trusts, led by established and highly regarded private client specialist, David Whitworth, who for many years was a partner at Mowbray Woodwards.
David is the only solicitor in Bath given a Band 1 ranking in Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2020 & 2021 for his work in Private Wealth Law.

WHITWORTH LAW AREAS OF EXPERTISE
We produce Wills to cover a wide range of personal circumstances from the simple to the most complex. These include:
- Protecting assets from care home fees
- Second marriages where there are separate sets of children who will benefit
- Estates which include businesses or farms
- Using trusts to protect assets for children
- Leaving part of the estate to charity to secure a 10% reduction in Inheritance Tax
- Inheritance Tax minimisation
Process
- We start with a meeting to discuss your circumstances and requirements
- We will send you draft Wills for you to approve together with a clear explanation
- We will produce final Wills and are happy to oversee their signing
We advise on and make Lasting Powers of Attorney. A Lasting Power of Attorney is an important document in which you can appoint people who will have power to make decisions for you if you ever lack the mental capacity to do so yourself.
We recommend that you make both types of Lasting Power of Attorney. These cover:
- Property and financial affairs
- Health and welfare
Process
- We start with a meeting to discuss your circumstances and requirements
- We will advise you on your options and recommend any special provisions you need
- We will send you draft Lasting Powers of Attorney for you to approve together with a clear explanation
- We will oversee the rather complex signing process or advise you on how to deal with this
We will arrange to register the Lasting Powers of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian – unless registered they cannot be used
We are experts in advising on Inheritance Tax. We will advise you of your current Inheritance Tax potential liability and explain what you can do to minimise this by taking advantage of permitted tax reliefs and allowances. This could involve making a new will or setting up trusts.
Process
- We will establish from you the size and nature of your estate
- We will advise you on what you can do to mitigate Inheritance Tax
- We will be happy to assist you in implementing tax mitigation strategies including producing any necessary documents
We are trust specialists. Trusts can be useful to protect assets for young or other vulnerable beneficiaries. They may also protect wealth from care home fees and in some circumstances from Inheritance Tax. We can advise you on how trusts may suit your circumstances. We can set up trusts for you and we can administer them on your behalf.
Process
- We will discuss with you your circumstances and how trusts may help
- We can set up trusts for you providing you with the documentation and a clear explanation
- We can administer ongoing trusts for you
Probate and Estate Administration refers to dealing with the estate of someone who has died. In many cases this may be complex and time-consuming. It may involve completing a comprehensive Inheritance Tax return and applying for a Grant of Probate. A Grant of Probate is the legal document, issued by the Court, which gives legal authority to the executors of the Will to cash in assets such as bank accounts and shares and to sell property.
If there is no Will the estate must be dealt with in accordance with the intestacy rules and we can advise and assist with this.
We have many years of experience in dealing with estates, including knowing how best to claim the available Inheritance Tax reliefs to save significant amounts of tax.
Services
We can provide a service tailored to your needs, providing as much or as little support as you wish. This could involve:
- Completing the Inheritance Tax return and applying for a Grant of Probate on your behalf and leaving you to deal with the remainder of the administration
- A full estate administration to remove the burden and stress from you. This would involve verifying the assets in the estate and their values, completing the Inheritance Tax return and claiming tax reliefs, arranging payment of Inheritance Tax, applying for a Grant of Probate, cashing in assets or transferring them to beneficiaries, making sure Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax have been paid, arranging distribution of the estate in accordance with the Will and producing comprehensive estate accounts.
Process
- We will discuss with you at an initial meeting the estate and what is required to administer it
- You can then decide how much help you would like from us
- We would complete the Inheritance Tax return and would apply for a Grant of Probate
- If instructed to administer the estate we would then cash in the assets or transfer them to beneficiaries and arrange the sale of a property. We would arrange payment of tax from the estate and of any other liabilities. We would deal with the distribution of the estate to the beneficiaries and produce estate accounts for approval by the executors.
ABOUT WHITWORTH LAW

David Whitworth is the founder of Whitworth Law.
David has over 25 years’ experience in his field. He was head of Wills, Trusts and Probate at Mowbray Woodwards solicitors in Bath for over 12 years and an equity partner there for over 11 years.

OUR VALUES & WHAT TO EXPECT
This business aims to deliver an experience that has been shaped by the practices that David has valued personally and professionally over the years, especially by his time at Mowbray Woodwards.
Our aim is to safeguard the interests of individuals and families who can expect a truly personal, tailored service throughout the process.
Pricing Guidelines
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