Wills, Probate and Estates

Padraic Courtney qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and has worked for the Law Society's Law School as a course manager, specialising in Probate and Taxation, for 10 years. Nuala Casey (BCL) was admitted as a solicitor in 1977 and is a consultant solicitor with Daly Lynch Crowe & Morris. Anne McKenna qualified as a solicitor in 1977. She works with Daly Lynch Crowe & Morris and also practises in Northern Ireland. Annette O'Connell currently holds the statutory position of Probate Officer in the Courts Service. A civil servant for the past 26 years, she has worked in the Central Office of the High Court, the Taxing Masters' Office and the Probate Office. Anne Stephenson is the principal of Stephenson Solicitors, a specialist practice providing an advisory service for solicitors and financial institutions in the areas of wills, trusts, probate, administration of estates and tax planning.

1. Introduction to Will Drafting; 2. Basic Elements of a Will and Mutual Wills; 3. The Legal Personal Representative; 4. Spouses' and Children's Rights: Will Drafting; 5. Taking Instructions and Drafting an Attendance on Same and the Execution of a Will; 6. Introduction to Trusts and their Legal Context; 7. Creation and Use of Trusts in Wills and their Administration; 8. Introduction to Administration of Estates; 9. Introduction to Probate Practice; 10. Extracting a Grant of Administration with Will Annexed; 11. Extracting a Grant of Administration Intestate; 12. Second and Subsequent Grants (De Bonis Non Grants); 13. Non-Contentious Applications (Either to the Probate Officer or to the Court); 14. Initial Steps After the Grant has Issued; 15. Spouses' and Children's Rights: Personal Representatives' Duties; 16. Benefits and Beneficiaries; 17. Obligations, Duties and Claims on the Estate; 18. Distributing the Estate and Vesting of Property; 19. Finalising Matters