Legal support

Get legal support with estate planning, estate administration and grant of probate and find out which services are right for you. Provided by Co-op Legal Services.

Co-op Legal Services logo

We often face legal issues at the most difficult times in our lives. You might find yourself with legal responsibilities you didn’t expect. It can be hard to know when you’d benefit from legal support and what kind of support you need.

That’s why we’ve partnered with Co-op Legal Services, who provide advice and regulated legal services for:

  • Estate planning, including will writing and lasting powers of attorney
  • Probate and estate administration, including grant of probate and letters of administration.

About Co-op Legal Services

Co-op Legal Services follows the same co-operative values as us – openness, honesty, social responsibility and caring for others. They work to provide services tailored to your circumstances and they keep their services easy to understand.

They’re part of Co-operative Group Limited and are completely separate to The Co-operative Bank plc.

What services are available?

Social.svg
Will writing and estate planning

Estate planning is when a living person makes arrangements for their estate.

Co-op Legal Services can help with estate planning services such as:

  • Will writing
  • Lasting power of attorney
  • Trusts (for asset protection or for vulnerable beneficiaries)
  • Appointing an Executor
  • Nominating guardians for children under 18.
Mortgage.svg
Probate and estate administration

Probate, also known as estate administration, is the legal process of dealing with the finances, property and other affairs of someone who has died.

Co-op Legal Services’ complete probate service includes:

  • Applying for grant of probate (or grant of letters of administration)
  • Calculating tax and communicating with HMRC
  • Valuing the estate
  • Settling outstanding debts, paying any tax due and distributing the estate.

Co-op Legal Services advise on the law in England and Wales. In Scotland and Northern Ireland different laws apply and they can refer you to their approved solicitor partners for most services.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Probate and estate administration

An estate is the sum of someone’s assets – their savings, investments, properties and other belongings. Administering an estate after someone has died can be complicated, depending on how the assets are owned, such as what country they’re in and whether they’re jointly owned with anyone else.

Probate is the legal process of administering someone’s estate after they’ve died. This includes selling or transferring assets, calculating and paying tax, settling all outstanding debts and distributing the estate to those entitled to inherit it.

Probate isn’t always needed after someone has died. It depends what the individual owned and how they owned it. We explain below when probate is and isn’t needed to administer an estate.

If probate is needed, this means you need a legal document called a grant of representation (also called a grant of probate or grant of letters of administration).

Co-op Legal Services’ complete probate services includes:

  • Applying for grant of probate (or grant of letters of administration)
  • Calculating tax and liaising with HMRC
  • Valuing the estate
  • Settling outstanding debts, paying any tax due and distributing the estate

In England and Wales, a grant of representation is the collective term for a legal document which allows you to deal with someone’s estate. It’s sometimes needed to access bank accounts, sell assets and settle debts after a person has died. The specific legal document that would need to be applied for depends on whether there is a will in place.

If the person whose estate is being looked after made a will, the executors would need to apply for a grant of probate. If they did not make a will, the next of kin would apply for a grant of letters of administration.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland different documents are in place.

This will depend on the estate. Below are some common examples.

You will need a grant of representation in order to finalise the accounts held with the Co-operative Bank for the following:

For sole accounts only:

  • The funds held in all accounts are more than £50,000
  • If there is a Co-operative Bank Mortgage. (The property can’t be sold or transferred without a grant of representation).

For balances held below £50,000 and if the accounts held are joint, you may not need to apply for a grant of representation.

They didn’t own many assets with us

  • Had less than £50,000 across their Co-operative Bank accounts

You may not need a grant of representation.

Sole assets not held with the Co-operative Bank, and joint assets

They owned their own home

  • Owned a property in their sole name

The property can’t be sold or transferred without a grant of representation.

You’ll likely need a grant of representation.

They owned other high-value assets

  • Owned shares in their sole name, or
  • Had over £20,000 across their sole bank accounts with another bank (market average).

You’ll likely need a grant of representation.

They didn’t own many assets

  • Didn’t own high value assets, and
  • Had less than £20,000 across their bank accounts with another bank (market average).

You may not need a grant of representation.

They owned joint assets

  • Owned a house with someone else, or
  • Kept savings in a joint account.

These assets will simply transfer to the surviving owner.

You may not need a grant of representation.

Will writing and estate planning

If you live in England or Wales and die without writing a legally valid will, the law will decide who gets what. By making a will, you can specify your wishes.

But planning ahead goes further than just making a will, especially if you’re a homeowner. Even with a legally valid will, there’s a risk that in the future your loved ones might not be provided for in the way that you’d hoped.

If you don’t keep your will up to date, it might not deal with your estate in the way you wanted when you die. There are also certain risks that a standard will, on its own, cannot prepare you for.

For example, if you lose the ability to make decisions in the future because of an accident or illness, your loved ones can’t automatically step in and take control of decisions about things like changing your mortgage, or even simply paying household bills. This means your finances and assets could be held in ‘limbo’ and decisions about your care and medical treatment could be made by someone you wouldn’t have chosen.

Without robust planning there are also risks that your estate’s value could be eroded by:

  • Care home fees
  • Divorce or re-marriage
  • Paying more inheritance tax than necessary when you die.

A will is a legal document that allows you to state what should happen to your assets (your money, property, investments and possessions) as well as your young children after you die. If you live in England or Wales and die without a legally valid will, the law will determine what happens instead.

There are different types of will available and they each suit different needs, such as whether it’s just for you or you and your partner. A standard will for a single person is known as a single will and is best for people who want to record their own individual wishes. If your wishes are very similar to someone else's (typically your partner or spouse) then you may want to make standard mirror wills together.

There are various trust wills available. Trusts can offer increased protection for your assets. A trust will may be more suitable if, for example:

  • You wish to protect your estate against possible care fees in the future
  • You have a spouse or partner but also have children from a previous relationship
  • You wish to leave some of your estate to a vulnerable individual.

A trust will can also help to protect your estate against care home fees or it can be used to protect inheritance if a beneficiary is unable to manage their own finances for any reason.

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint people you trust to make decisions for you in case you become unable to make your own decisions in the future. Without an LPA, no one has an automatic legal right to manage your affairs for you, not even your immediate family.

The people you appoint under your LPA are called your attorneys. An LPA is a completely separate legal document to your will, although many people put them in place at the same time, as part of planning for the future.

There are two types of LPA:

  • A health and care LPA lets your attorney make decisions about your medical treatment and day-to-day care. This can include where you live, what you eat and what medical treatment you receive
  • A financial decisions LPA lets your attorney handle (and make decisions about) your money and property. This can include paying your bills, selling your property, collecting your pension and collecting your benefits.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland different documents are used.

More information

To answer some common legal questions and help you understand which services are right for you, Co-op Legal Services have a collection of helpful and free articles. You can visit their website by following the links below to read more about:

Will writing

Lasting power of attorney

Executorship

Guardianship

Grant of probate

Grant of letters of administration

Estate executor or administrator legal duties (evaluation, distribution and managing taxes and costs)

Book a free consultation

Co-op Legal Services will discuss your situation with you and provide advice on the most appropriate legal solutions. There’s no obligation to proceed further and they’ll provide you with a fixed fee quote.

Co-op Legal Services and us

We (The Co-operative Bank plc) have chosen to partner with Co-op Legal Services because we believe they share our values. Some other legal services providers offer similar services, so you should always make sure you choose services that suit your needs.

Co-op Legal Services:

  • Is part of Co-operative Group Limited and is not connected to The Co-operative Bank plc
  • Is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under registration number 567391
  • May refer you to its approved partners for legal matters in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

And The Co-operative Bank:

  • Acts as an introducer to Co-op Legal Services
  • Deals exclusively with Co-op Legal Services for your legal advice and services
  • Receives commission from Co-op Legal Services on all legal services which carry a fee that customers purchase via this webpage
  • Will not provide any advice or recommendation on this arrangement.

By choosing to book a conversation online or viewing any help articles, you’ll be redirected to the Co-op Legal Services website.

Book your consultation

Co-op Legal Services will request some basic personal information. Please note their terms and conditions, privacy notice and cookie policy differs from The Co-operative Bank’s.

To continue, confirm that you:

Confirm you understand the above to continue

You'll now leave the Co-operative Bank website and go to Co-op Legal Services website.

Book for estate planning

To continue, confirm that you:

Confirm you understand the above to continue

You'll now leave the Co-operative Bank website and go to Co-op Legal Services website.

Book for probate and estate administration

Charity donation

Hospice UK is the national charity for hospice and end of life care. Our partnership with Hospice UK began in 2016 and since then we have raised thousands of pounds through a number of initiatives. But we want to do more to support Hospice UK's work to ensure everyone affected by death, dying and bereavement gets the care and support they need, when they need it.

That’s why we are delighted that as part of our partnership with Co-op Legal Services, we will be donating a proportion of any commission received to help Hospice UK in their vital work. And we are proudly committing to donating a minimum of £25,000 to Hospice UK in 2023. Hospice UK is a charity registered in England and Wales (No. 1014851) and in Scotland (No. SC041112).

Hospice UK logo

Not found what you're looking for?

Contact our support team