Wills, Probate, Letter of Administration and Deed Poll / Name Change

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1 Wills, Probate, Letter of Administration and Deed Poll / Name Change 2010 Menon Media All Rights Reserved 1

2 Disclaimer The information within this report represents the views of the author at the date of this publication. The author reserves the right to alter and update their opinions based on the ever changing climate of this niche. This report is for informational purposes only and the author does not accept any responsibilities for any liabilities resulting from the use of this information. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided here, the author cannot assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies and omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. This report may not be sold. It is for personal use only. You can direct your family and friends to the link above if they want a copy of the report as well. Proudly Prepared By for Menon Media All Rights Reserved 2

3 Table of Content Wills, Probate and Letters Of Administration 4 Deed Poll / Name Change Menon Media All Rights Reserved 3

4 WILL PROBATE GRANT OF LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION Why Will Away Your Estate? When you make a will, you get to choose the person whom you trust to administer your wealth and property (the estate) you leave behind on your demise. You also get to choose the beneficiaries in your own will without any requirements attached. You basically manage your estate even after your demise, distributing your estate as you wish. If you do not have a will, what it would mean is that your estate would be governed by the laws of intestacy. It would fall under intestacy, that is, your estate will be distributed in accordance to the law and not in accordance to your wish. However, if you are pleased with your estate being distributed under the laws of intestacy (to the persons and portions as fixed under the law) and you have no desire to appoint any particular person to administer your estate, then you may choose to not make a will after all! To prepare a straightforward will dealing with the general assets (such as cash in the bank, jewelry, insurance policies for which there is no nomination and so on), property and residue you would only require bringing along the following to see our lawyer for the initial consultation: 1. Your identity card Menon Media All Rights Reserved 4

5 2. Your executor(s) identity details (name and IC number). You may choose 1 or 2 executor(s) to administer your estate. 3. Your beneficiary(s) name and ic number. You may want to note that your executor may be one of your beneficiary(s) or the sole beneficiary. We only charge S$ for senior citizens (60 years and above) and S$ for others. For joint/mutual wills we only charge S$ for senior citizens and S$ for others. What Happens to the Deceased's Estate upon his Death? When a person dies with an estate (property), it is common knowledge that someone must take care of his estate and ensure that the estate is distributed to the beneficiary (the person entitled to the estate). Where the deceased leaves a will behind and appoints a person to take care of his estate, that person is called an executor. On the flip side, where the deceased does not leave a will behind, the person who takes care of his estate would be called an administrator. To administer the estate of the deceased, whether he leaves a will behind or not, an order from the court is required for the executor/administrator to administer the deceased's estate. The court order is known as a grant of probate (where there is a will) or grant of letters of administration (where there is no will) Menon Media All Rights Reserved 5

6 Something to note is that there is lesser documentation involved where there is a request for a grant of probate versus a grant of letters of administration and usually, depending on the nature of the matter, the grant of probate is quicker in being processed than a grant of letters of administration. Grant of Probate A grant of probate is a court order given to the executor, to administer the deceased estate. This court order has to be applied to court within 6 months after the death of the person. We charge from S$ for a straightforward grant of probate. Grant of Letters of Administration The grant of letters of administration is a court order given to the administrator, to administer the deceased estate. The beneficiary with prior right will have to apply for the court order, where the deceased has left some property to administer. We charge from S$ for a straightforward grant of letters of administration. Where there is already a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration Obtained overseas; A memorandum of resealing is a court order given where a grant of probate or letters of administration is obtained in any part of the Commonwealth or approved country/territory Menon Media All Rights Reserved 6

7 Resealing has to be applied in the High Court of Singapore and can be costly, depending on the nature of the matter. If you are interested in writing up a Will, Probate and Letters Of Administration and would like to talk about your options with a lawyer, please contact us for a FREE CAS E REVIEW AND CONSULTATION, Free Case Review and Consultation We at Prasanna Devi & Co will promptly address your concerns and aggressively work with you to find the best course of action. We are your partners in the mission of achieving justice for you and your family Menon Media All Rights Reserved 7

8 DEED POLL / NAME CHANGE Deed poll is the document required for the change of name. Before changing your name in your identity card, you would require a deed poll. For children under the age of 21 years of age, either parent has to sign the deed poll before a lawyer. The parent should only execute the deed poll after receiving the consent of the other parent of the child. In a situation where the parents are divorced, the minor can amend his or her family name only if there s an approval of his/her biological father to change his/her surname. If a parent is unreachable, then the necessary enquiry should be made with ICA before getting a deed poll done. To do deed poll with our firm, you may scan a copy of the back and front of your identity card and to us with your new name and your contact number. Upon ing, we shall respond with a suitable appointment for you to sign before our lawyer. The cost of the deed poll would only be S$ Menon Media All Rights Reserved 8

9 If you are interested in a Deed Poll / Name Change and would like to talk about your options with a lawyer, please contact us for a FREE CAS E REVIEW AND CONSULTATION, Free Case Review and Consultation We at Prasanna Devi & Co will promptly address your concerns and aggressively work with you to find the best course of action. We are your partners in the mission of achieving justice for you and your family Menon Media All Rights Reserved 9