Dealing with an estate when someone has died is a puzzle for most of us. We are faced with this task so infrequently that it is not one that is routinely learned through life experience and added to this is the fact that probate and inheritance law change from time to time; what was relevant seven years ago might not be appropriate today. In Part One of this two-part article, we looked at the early activities that take place including the considerations a family normally takes into account before appointing professional help and then after the appointment, the steps and information needed to apply for a Grant of Probate.

As consumers, we are forever looking for a bargain – perhaps especially these days - and the world of estate administration is no exception. Some people are capable of administering a deceased parent’s, or spouse's, estate without professional assistance – although anyone contemplating this should be alive to the pitfalls that await the unwary - the cost of probate provided by a professional is often small in relation to the stress created, and time needed, in even a simple case. In this article I will show, based on my experience, some of the things you will need to be aware of, should you decide to administer an estate yourself.

Although it can be risky, administering an estate is usually relatively straightforward to the experienced practitioner. Occasionally, though, some elements of a particular estate will test the mettle of the best. Nicholas Beetham looks at a recent “perfect storm” estate which, although demanding, presented no more than a welcome challenge to Kings Court, who administered it smoothly and without fuss.

Dealing with overseas assets can give even the most patient executor a continent-sized headache. Nicholas Beetham looks at how Kings Court’s in-house expertise calmly deals with an element of estate administration whose frequency is on the increase.