Ralstons Solicitors

And we’ve merged! Ralstons Solicitors is now part of Kerslands Solicitors as of 1st April 2023.

Kerslands Solicitors offer a high quality, friendly, professional and efficient legal advice to clients, dealing principally in residential and commercial conveyancing and commercial disposals and acquisitions.

Ralstons Solicitors’ specialism in wills, powers of attorney, trusts, inheritance tax planning and administration of estates will enhance Kerslands Solicitors’ current services in those areas.

Bringing both firms together under the name of Kerslands Solicitors enables us both to maintain and grow our services to our clients.

The joint approach remains straightforward and driven by the results our respective clients want

Contact Elspeth on 07760 196224 or [email protected]
4 Station Road, Milngavie, Glasgow G62 8AB
0333 600 8000

We are delighted to announce that Ralstons Solicitors is merging with local firm Kerslands Solicitors as of 1st April 2023.

Currently led by Alison Keith and Lesley McDermid, Kerslands Solicitors offer a high quality, friendly, professional and efficient legal advice to clients, dealing principally in residential and commercial conveyancing and commercial disposals and acquisitions.

Ralstons Solicitors’ specialism in wills, powers of attorney, trusts, inheritance tax planning and administration of estates will enhance Kerslands Solicitors’ current services in those areas.

Bringing both firms together under the name of Kerslands Solicitors enables us both to maintain and grow our services to our clients.

The joint approach remains straightforward and driven by the results our respective clients want to achieve.

The merged firm will continue to operate from Kerslands Solicitors’ current office in Milngavie.

# specialism

Legal Services | Kerslands Solicitors | Milngavie Kerslands Solicitors offer a high quality, friendly, professional and efficient legal advice to our clients, dealing with everything from residential and commercial conveyancing to wills, powers of attorney and estate administration and commercial disposals and acquisitions.

We're sad to have to say goodbye to our
wonderful accredited paralegal Lesley as she takes early retirement and starts the next chapter of her life. She's been a fantastic colleague and we'll miss her very much

We're looking forward to raising some more money for charity this November. If you haven't already made a Will, or you need an update, then please consider supporting the Will Aid campaign this year.

Last day before holidays. We have a special helper. He says he's good with typing and filing but we have our doubts

Holidays are almost here :-)
The office will be closed from Monday 27th June to Friday 8th July inclusive.
We will catch up on emails and phonecalls and messages on our return.

We're contemplating hiring a full or part-time solicitor specialising in Private Client work, particularly complex estates and Trusts, with a good amount of IHT & CGT knowledge, with the ability to attract and develop new client relationships. Is there anyone out there looking for a new challenge who would like to chat over the possibilities? Do get in touch

It’s the weekend 😊 time to down tools and relax with family & friends. Never underestimate the value in spending time on ourselves and others. Relationships grow when we invest time in them. Which is why I value spending time and energy with my clients in helping them get their private legal affairs in order. Have a good one!

We were delighted to take a table at the recent Sense Scotland Ladies Lunch. Elspeth Talbot is one of their Trustees and loves to support the charity when she can. An amazing £23,767 was raised 🎉

We had lots of enquiries and wrote lots of new Wills last November as part of . As a small firm, we weren't sure how much we could contribute but so far have raised at least £720 which we think is a great achievement

Delighted that our paralegal Lesley Taylor gained her Law Society of Scotland Accredited Paralegal certification today. Well done! We are committed to giving our clients an excellent service and this means continually investing in and improving our skills

Looking forward to Thursday's Business Gateway East Dunbartonshire's ED-Net when I'm doing the "Spotlight on" section. A chance to tell attendees a little about me and my business. A great way to continue networking and meeting new people. See you there!

Making preparations for Christmas, including writing our cards, putting the office tree up and planning a team celebration. 🎉

And of course, ensuring that our work is up to date before the holidays. ✒️

The office will be closed on Friday 24th, Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th and Friday 31st December and Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th January 2022.

Wishing all of our clients and friends a very Merry Christmas & a happy New Year 🎄

Thank you to all of our lovely clients for their business so far this year. You've all contributed to helping our firm grow from its start in May 2020 to a thriving and busy legal practice.

We still have capacity for new clients - whether you need a Will or a Power of Attorney, or perhaps some advice about inheritance tax or lifetime care planning, we're here to help.

Get in touch today - we'd be delighted to hear from you🤩

The one where you make a Will without realising it…

Buying your first house (or your second, or third) is an exciting time. Home ownership brings with it lots of opportunities, as well as responsibilities. Choice of wallpaper, new kitchens, outside entertaining space. So many things to think about, that, when the lawyer asks you if you want to take the title in the joint names of yourself and your partner, with a survivorship destination, you just say yes without thinking too much about it, reassured that if you die, your partner isn’t going to be homeless.

I’m not sure if you realise it or not, but what you have done here is effectively made a Will in relation to your share of the house. Whilst you haven’t made a traditional Will, written as a separate document, you have effectively bequeathed your asset to your partner on your death. The title to the house has been registered in the Land Register for Scotland and the title contains a statement of what happens if one of the joint owners dies – their share automatically passes to the surviving joint owner without the need for any further legal process.......

http://www.ralstonssolicitors.co.uk/blog/the-one-where-you-make-a-will-without-realising-it

The one where you make a Will without realising it… The one where you make a Will without realising it…...you might not be aware that joint ownership of a house can include instructions for what happens on the death of one of the owners - and this might be in conflict with what is contained in their Will

I don't talk to my child any more and don't want to leave her anything on my death. What can I do?

Legal rights are a well-known feature of Scots law. The principle is that, even if you make a Will which does not include a spouse or children, they nevertheless are automatically entitled to claim a proportion of your estate on death. This can be either one half or one third of the net moveable estate in total.

So, what can do you about it? There are a few strategies of how to avoid legal rights, some more palatable than others.

http://www.ralstonssolicitors.co.uk/blog/you-cant-disinherit-your-spouse-or-children-or-can-you

You can’t disinherit your spouse or children – or can you? You can’t disinherit your spouse or children – or can you? Legal rights are a well-known feature of Scots law. The principle is that, even if you make a Will which does not include a spouse or children, they nevertheless are automatically claim a proportion of the “moveable” part of your ass...

One of the most frequent reasons quoted for not making a Will is “I don't know who would look after the children if I'm not here”.

For parents of children under the age of 16, this can be quite a dilemma. Who will be the person responsible for looking after your children if you die? Should it be your parents are they still fit and healthy? Or should it be your siblings - do you have a good relationship with them? Or would you prefer that a trusted friend, who lives in the same area, is the best person to provide stability and continuity for your children?...........

Reasons for not making a Will #1 Choosing a guardian for your child in the event of your death

Can my Attorney change my Will if I lose capacity?

Thankfully, no, they can't. Once you make your Will, only you can change it. But they might be able to apply to Court for power to change it.....

Can my Attorney change my Will if I lose capacity? An Attorney can only make amendments to an adult's Will in very limited circumstances

Can you challenge a Will after someone dies? Yes, in certain circumstances you can. But it is not always easy.
I've come across a couple of situations recently where an estranged family member has only learned about the death of a parent after the fact. There is of course huge emotional fallout from this; an estranged parent is still a parent. A death will bring up many emotions and feelings, even without the complications of who inherits their estate. In one circumstance, the daughter had been recently reconciled with her father and had been expecting to inherit part of his estate on his death - he told her so. However, when details of the will emerged after death, she was not part of it. Was there anything she could do, she asked? Could she challenge the will? It surely was wrong - he couldn't have meant to do that, she said.....

Challenging a Will after death Can you successfully challenge a Will after someone has died? In certain circumstances, yes.

Let's review the basics of how to make a Will in Scotland. We all know that we need to make a Will but often don't know how to actually go about it. Solicitors are of course are well practised in writing Wills for their clients, but sometimes lay people try and do this for themselves - sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

The very essence of a Will is that it gives effect to what you want to happen to your assets after your death. Scottish law says that it must be in writing – oral Wills are not allowed, so you can't simply say to somebody “I will leave you my estate when I die”. The writing doesn't have to be in a formal style such as prepared by a solicitor but it does need to have “words of testamentary intention” ensuring that this is what you mean to happen after your death.

It can be handwritten, or typed, written in ink or blood - I've never actually seen that one myself - as long as it is produced in a physical form and of course it needs to be signed by the person making the Will, who is known as the testator. If the Will goes over many pages, the testator needs to sign on every page but if written on one sheet only, then one signature is enough.

There are will packs available from local stationers but as you might imagine I don't advise that you use these in anything other than the most straight forward of cases. I tend to see the results of a badly drawn homemade Will in my practice, and my clients end up spending more in legal fees putting it right then was saved in making the Will originally.

So, as ever, please do seek independent legal advice but if you are doing it yourself bear these basic necessities in mind.



https://www.ralstonssolicitors.co.uk/blog/basics-of-making-a-will

Basics of making a Will Review of the basics of making a Will in Scotland

Is there an official “will-reading” after death?

You can just picture the scene from an American movie where the patriarch of the family has died and the warring family gather together in the Attorney’s office for the official reading of the Will....Well, I’m not sure if I am bursting a bubble here, and if you will be disappointed, but I have to tell you that – at least here in the UK – such a scene is a complete myth.



https://www.ralstonssolicitors.co.uk/blog/is-there-an-official-will-reading-after-death

Is there an official “will-reading” after death? Is there an official “will-reading” after death? You can just picture the scene from an American movie where the patriarch of the family has died and the warring family gather together in the Attorney’s office for the official reading of the Will. You find yourself wondering if this ever happe...

Once I’ve made my Will, can I change my mind?
Yes, absolutely. You can change your Will whenever you like – provided..... https://www.ralstonssolicitors.co.uk/blog

Blog Private Client Solicitors specialising in Wills, Trusts, Estates, Inheritance Tax Planning, Care Home Fees and Guardianships

Are Wills made public? In short, yes, they normally are. https://www.ralstonssolicitors.co.uk/blog

Blog Private Client Solicitors specialising in Wills, Trusts, Estates, Inheritance Tax Planning, Care Home Fees and Guardianships

Good morning all ☺This month will see us celebrating Mother's Day in a couple of weeks time. This is a wonderful time to make sure that our mothers know that they are loved and cared for. But she may not always be fit enough to look after herself. What can you do to help her? One of the most important things it to make sure she has a valid Power of Attorney and Will in place. I am happy to have a chat if you have any questions https://www.ralstonssolicitors.co.uk/powers-of-attorney-guardianships

Powers of Attorney & Guardianships Private Client Solicitors specialising in Wills, Trusts, Estates, Inheritance Tax Planning, Care Home Fees and Guardianships

Ralstons Solicitors updated their info in the about section.

Ralstons Solicitors updated their website address.

Did you know that approximately two thirds of people in Scotland haven't made a Will? There are various reasons for this, including not having capacity or thinking your estate is too small to warrant making one. But there are also lots of positive reasons to go to the effort of making one - making sure that your wealth passes to people of your choosing being one of the top priorities.
If you don't make a Will, there is a set heirarchy of who will inherit your assets, and your executors will almost certainly need an insurance policy costing several hundred pounds in order to administer your estate.
If you would like to make a Will, we can help. Call today for a free initial chat about your circumstances.

I'm a newbie to all things website and social media analytics related so it was good to attend a seminar on Web and Social Media Analytics (DigitalBoost). Got a lot of good tips on what to do and how to do it. Thanks to Alistair Miller of Tuminds for a great session this morning

Ralstons Solicitors updated their business hours.

Back to work today. New Year.....new Will 😄We can answer your questions and help you get the Will you need, tailored to suit your individual circumstances. Get in touch today