Claire Springle is a solicitor from Springle & Co Solicitors in North Shields.
Her business specialises in helping people with wills, trusts and estate management. She told us more about her speciality and why it’s important to plan for the future when it comes to your assets.
Hi Claire – you specialise in a certain part of law, can you tell us about that?
Yes, I’m Claire Springle and I run Springle & Co Solicitors in North Shields. I specialise in wills, trusts, lasting powers of attorney, court of protection work, estate administration and asset protection.
Why is it important to have a will?
Everyone should have a will because it means you get to choose who inherits your estate after you pass away. Without a will, you die in testate – the law of intestacy would determine who inherits your estate. The law can often work in a very unusual way so the people that inherit may not be the people you would choose.
It’s a myth that your next of kin will automatically inherit everything when you die so it’s best to seek out specialist advice. I can guide you through the process to help determine who benefits and who gets to take charge of your assets. It will make sure your loved ones are protected in the event of your death.
What’s the best time of life to get a will?
I always advise people to write a will as soon as you have property or assets that you’d like to pass on when you die. Or if you have children, it’s vitally important to appoint guardians to take care of them, should the worst happen.
You mentioned Lasting Power of Attorney – can you explain what that is?
A lasting power of attorney is a document that allows you to choose who would look after your finances or make decisions for you about your healthcare if you were mentally incapable of making those decisions for yourself.
Appointing someone to make decisions for you makes sure you get your wish even if you become mentally incapable.
What qualifications have you got as a solicitor?
Aside from studying law at university, I’ve recently taken some STEP exams – the Society for Trusts and Estate Practitioners. These are specialist exams which allow me to explore the particular area of law for trusts and estates. A large focus of those exams was around tax for trust and estates which can be a complex area. That’s why it’s really important to get specialist advice from someone who’s got that technical knowledge.
How can people get in touch?
Visit our website at www.springleandco.co.uk or email me at [email protected]