Murray Beith Murray is a leading Scottish private client law firm.
For over 170 years we have specialised in meeting the legal, financial and administrative needs of individuals and families, family trusts, charities and private companies.
If you have been appointed as an Executor of an estate, you may have heard the term ‘applying for Confirmation’. An executor must normally obtain Confirmation before distributing the assets forming part of the deceased’s estate in line with the wishes set out in their Will. However, there are several steps involved in obtaining Confirmation. This article provides a brief overview of what is involved in the Confirmation process.
If you believe that a trustee or attorney is not managing the assets and affairs of a loved one as they should, you will understandably be concerned. Both trustees and attorneys have great power and responsibility in their position, and abuse of this position can have serious consequences. In this article, we look at the general financial duties of attorneys and trustees, as well as what you should do if you think something is wrong.
The process of acquiring commercial property should involve an extensive due diligence process. When evaluating a commercial property asset, your commercial property lawyer should endeavour to find all relevant information that may be available - and information that is not so readily available. In this article, we provide a brief introduction to why legal due diligence is important and what your lawyer will look for during the process.
If you are looking to provide for your family after you have passed away, you may have considered a type of trust - often referred to as a ‘Family Protection Trust’ or ‘Asset Protection Trust’. As these terms suggest, these types of trusts are designed to protect your family wealth from a variety of different circumstances. While setting up a trust is not right for everyone, it can provide a broad range of benefits under the right circumstances. In this article, we look at some of the protections a trust might afford your assets and your future family wealth.
Estate planning can be a complicated process, particularly when your family structure includes stepchildren. The Scottish Law Commission estimates that around half of all families in the UK are stepfamilies, with one in eight children being part of a stepfamily. It is clear that stepfamilies are not uncommon, and at present, there have been suggestions for changing the law to ensure that stepchildren have the same rights in inheritance as biological and adopted children.
