I am a solicitor and qualified STEP Trusts and Estate Practitioner in the Private Client department at Downie & Gadban. I have over ten years’ experience in legal practice working in high street and regional firms across Surrey and Hampshire.
Areas of Expertise
- PREPARING LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY
- INHERITANCE TAX ADVICE
- TRUST ADVICE INCLUDING ADMINISTRATION OF TRUSTS
- PREPARING WILLS
- ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATE
Sophie has expertise in all aspects of private client work including:
Advising on and drafting Wills (including simple Wills, mirror Wills and complex Wills with trusts)
Advising on and producing Lasting Powers of Attorney
Obtaining Grants of Probate and administering estates
Advising in relation to Inheritance Tax including tax reliefs and exemptions
Advising on and the administration of Trusts
Friendly and approachable, Sophie is able to help clients with bespoke professional advice when they are going through what can be a very difficult time in their lives.
RECENT WORK
Wills
- Preparing Wills for an unmarried couple to ensure that their individual assets are protected and pass to their respective families.
- Updating Wills for clients who have recently lost a member of their family.
- Preparing Wills for clients who have not previously made a Will.
- Preparing Wills for clients who are excluding family members.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
- Preparing and registering a Lasting Power of Attorney for a client who required it to be registered as soon as possible to allow their family to deal with their financial affairs due to physical incapacity.
- Preparing Lasting Powers of Attorneys for Health and Welfare for clients who already have an Enduring Power of Attorney.
- Registering Lasting Powers of Attorney previously prepared by the clients.
- Registering Enduring Powers of Attorney
- Registering an Enduring Power of Attorney on behalf of an attorney whose mother was in the process of losing capacity, in order that they could sell the property to pay for care home fees.
Administration of Estate
- Administering an estate where it had started to be administered under the intestacy rules, but where a Will was subsequently found appointing Downie & Gadban as executors and the beneficiaries as charities.
- Obtaining a Grant of Probate for an executor who wished to deal with the administration of the estate herself.
- Administering an estate under the intestacy rules where no Grant of Probate was required.
- Administering an estate where the Will put the assets into a trust, but the trustees wished to appoint the assets of the estate directly to the beneficiary, therefore requiring a Deed of Appointment.
- Administering an estate whereby one of the beneficiaries wished to change her entitlement under the Will using a Deed of Variation.
- Obtaining a Grant of Probate for an executor and then dealing with enquiries from HMRC in relation to the value of the property and a refund in Inheritance Tax.
- Administering an estate where the property in the estate was sold at a gain, and accounting to HMRC for Capital Gains Tax.
Other
- Advising a client in relation to a Deed of Variation prepared by another firm of solicitors in relation to a variation of her mother’s estate which came under the intestacy rules.
- Advising a client in relation to how to deal with an interest in possession trust in their father’s Will where the beneficiary of the trust had just died.
BIOGRAPHY
In September 2015, Sophie joined the Private Client department as a paralegal at Quality Solicitors Knight Polson in Eastleigh, having previously worked in family law. She qualified as a Graduate Chartered Legal Executive in January 2016.
In May 2016, Sophie joined Biscoes Solicitors in Portsmouth and took on the role of private client fee earner in their Waterlooville Office.
In November 2017, Sophie qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive and was admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales in January 2018.
In June 2019, Sophie joined Downie & Gadban in Alton as a solicitor specialising in all aspects of private client work. In January 2020, Sophie started studying to become a Trusts and Estates Practitioner through the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
“Sophie was brilliant from start to finish. Accommodated all of our requirements and informed of us of any issues or complications that might arise from the terms of our Will. The turnaround time was fantastic so we will definitely be using Sophie and Downie & Gadban again.”
“Excellent service in administering my father’s estate and in drawing up our own Wills and LPAs.”
“Sophie Booker did a good job in difficult circumstances (COVID 19). She communicated well, prepared all the paperwork quickly and designed a novel way to have our signatures witnessed at a time when we couldn’t interact with anyone.”
