LGBTQIA+

A bespoke Will ensures your wishes are respected and implemented to accurately reflect your relationships, values, and chosen beneficiaries. It helps avoid complications or disputes, especially in blended family structures.

LGBTQIA+ individuals often have unique family dynamics, such as chosen families or long-term partners who may not be legally recognised. A bespoke Will ensures that these loved ones are included and protected.

Estate planning is a vital tool for LGBTQIA+ individuals to protect their loved ones, honour their relationships, and ensure their wishes are respected – especially in a legal system that may not automatically recognise blended families or partnerships.

A Trust is a legal arrangement where assets are transferred to one party (the Trustees) with the intention that they be held and managed for the benefit of another (the Beneficiaries). Trusts can be useful Estate Planning tools as they allow a person to distribute their assets according to specific conditions and guidelines that they set out, often aimed at minimizing taxes or protecting assets. Trusts can be utilised to ensure that there is control over the way that your assets are distributed in a private manner, whilst not necessarily including this within your Will – again, this can be tailored to blended families.

Lasting Powers of Attorney allow individuals to appoint someone they trust to make decisions on their behalf. For the LGBTQIA+ community, Lasting Powers of Attorney provide vital protection and personal autonomy in situations where default legal assumptions may not reflect their relationships or wishes.

A statutory declaration is a formal legal statement required as part of the application for a Gender Recognition Certificate. It confirms key personal details and affirms the applicant's intention to live permanently in their acquired gender.

At Herrington Carmichael, we can assist with completion of the Gender Recognition Certificate Declaration promptly and sensitively.