Vincents appoints head of probate and head of wills, trust and estate planning

Vincents Solicitors has made two senior private client promotions following a doubling of the department’s revenue over the last three years. 

Patricia Prescott has been made head of probate while Sean Aldridge is now head of wills, trusts and estate planning. 

Both are based at Vincents’ offices in Lytham and will work closely with the firm’s private client director Lisa Lodge, who is continuing to recruit at all levels across the business. 

Lisa Lodge said: “Private client is one of our strongest areas of growth, thanks to the hard work, expertise and relationships built by our team.

"As a firm we are always delighted to elevate and promote internally to recognise dedication of individuals, and these promotions acknowledge everything Patricia and Sean bring to the department. 

“With the growth we have seen in private client, we are also committed to bringing in new people to further strengthen the team; people who boost our expertise and add new knowledge and experience to the mix. 

"I am actively recruiting to the private client department and am interested in speaking to professionals across all levels of seniority who are committed to providing clients with the exceptional legal knowledge and impeccable customer service that Vincents has become known for.”

Vincents’ private client department has 18 lawyers and support staff and operates out of all six branch offices – Garstang, Poulton, Chorley, Penwortham, Lytham and the firm’s boutique high net worth practice Mary E Lowe in Lytham.

This ensures clients can walk into their local branch to see a wills, probate, trusts, or estates planning specialist face-to-face.

Patricia has been a solicitor for 23 years and worked her way up from her first role as a legal secretary, to head of wills and probate at all three of her previous firms. 

Helping others achieve the same is one of her goals, along with supporting clients. 

She said: “We have a great team of experienced senior and enthusiastic junior staff, and we have a responsibility to help bring them through; there’s nothing like learning on the job.

“Probate naturally comes at a difficult time for people, they have lost someone and are suddenly faced with this mass of official paperwork.

"It can be a minefield and many prefer to handover the endless forms, applications, discussions with banks, HMRC calculations etc to an expert who has done this many times before, rather than risk going alone. 

"We then work together with executors to make the process as stress free as possible for the family and beneficiaries to ensure their loved one’s wishes are honoured.” 

Sean has more than 30 years’ experience in legal practice, 20 of which in Private Client work. He specialises in advising clients on protecting their family’s future with smart estate planning, use of trusts and properly considered wills. 

He said: “These days most people benefit from some estate planning support, whether that’s because they’ve more than one property, own a business, or simply because they’ve been married more than once and they have slightly more complex family arrangements.

"There’s also the constantly shifting ground of government policy on inheritance tax, agricultural relief, personal tax etc, which is important to keep on top of. 

“What makes me proud of the team at Vincents is that they are extremely knowledgeable about the law and do a great job from that perspective, but they are also kind, respectful and compassionate, recognising that these discussions can be difficult for clients.

"It’s our job to know both the law and the client, and honour the trust they put in us to help them.”

To contact the private client team for legal support, or to apply for a role, please email: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]