Private Client, Estate Planning Review
Estate Planning Review. Know exactly where you stand.
A structured legal conversation about your estate, your existing plans, and what actually needs doing. A 45 minute remote review, £295 fixed, with half credited against a Wills or combined Wills and LPA instruction.
An Estate Planning Review is the right first step when you are not sure what you need. You complete our interactive questionnaire, we review your full picture, and then a solicitor meets you by video or phone for 45 focused minutes, followed by a written IHT position note and a written recommendation.
£295 + VAT. A 45-minute paid appointment with a solicitor, written recommendations and an inheritance-tax position note. If you instruct a Wills or Combined Wills + LPA package within 30 days, half the fee (£147.50) comes off your onward package fee. Not credited against LPA-only instructions.
What you get
- A 45 minute meeting with a Bonsai solicitor, by video or phone
- Held once we have your full information, gathered through our interactive questionnaire
- A written inheritance tax position note covering your current exposure and the reliefs available to you
- A written recommendations letter with a clear action list
- All fixed at £295, no hourly billing, no surprises
Who it's for
- You have existing Wills or LPAs and don't know if they still work
- Your estate has grown, your family has changed, or the tax rules have moved
- You have been told to look at inheritance tax and don't know where to start
- You want a professional view before you commit to drafting work
How the credit works
- £295 fixed fee for the review, payable up front
- If you instruct a Wills or Combined Wills + LPA package within 30 days of the review, half the fee, £147.50, comes off the package price
- The credit never applies to LPA-only instructions
- The credit is automatic, applied when we open the onward matter
- If you decide not to proceed, you have had proper legal advice, and the £295 stays with us
What the review covers
A clear picture, and a plan you can act on.
Your current position
We look at what you already have: existing Wills, LPAs, trusts, life policies, pension nominations, and any lifetime gifting you have done. We check whether the documents still do what you think they do, whether they have been superseded by law changes, and whether they cover the assets you actually own now.
Your inheritance tax exposure
We calculate your current IHT position based on the figures you give us: what your estate is worth, what reliefs you qualify for (nil-rate band, residence nil-rate band, spousal exemption, business relief, agricultural relief where applicable), and what your beneficiaries would pay if you died today. We flag the April 2027 pension change and how it affects you.
Your options
We set out what you could do, from doing nothing (sometimes that is the right answer) through updating existing documents, drafting new ones, considering lifetime gifting, or restructuring how assets are held. We tell you what each option costs, what it achieves, and what its downsides are.
Our recommendation
You get a written letter with a specific recommended course of action. You are free to instruct us to do any, all, or none of it. If you instruct a Wills or Combined Wills + LPA package within 30 days, half the £295 review fee, £147.50, comes off your onward package fee. It never applies to LPA-only instructions.
Common questions
Answered, plainly.
Do I need an Estate Planning Review before you'll draft my Will?
No. If you already know you want a Will, describe a straightforward situation, and there are no red flags, we can go straight to the Wills questionnaire and price to tier. The review exists for clients who are not sure, or whose situation needs a professional view before drafting begins.
How does the meeting actually work?
It is remote. Once you book, we send you our interactive questionnaire to complete in your own time. It gathers your full picture: your assets, your existing documents, your family, and your objectives. We review it before the meeting, so the 45 minutes is spent on advice, not fact-finding. The meeting itself is by video or phone, whichever suits you.
What do I need to have ready?
Rough figures for your assets and liabilities, and details of any existing Wills, LPAs and trust documents. Names and dates of birth for your family. If you have a pension nomination form, note who it names. The questionnaire prompts you for everything we need, so there is nothing to bring to an office and nothing to print.
What if I decide not to proceed?
You have had a proper legal consultation and a written recommendation. That is worth £295 on its own. The fee stays with us; you have no obligation to do anything further.
What if I want the drafting work more than 30 days after the review?
You are still welcome to instruct us. The £147.50 credit lapses after 30 days, so you would pay the full package fee at the point of instruction. If your situation has changed materially in the meantime, we may recommend a short refresher meeting first.
Who conducts the review?
A Bonsai solicitor, not a paralegal. Depending on complexity, either Vanessa Challess or Rebekah Manning, or another qualified fee earner under their supervision.
Is the review the same as a Will?
No. The review is a diagnostic and advisory service. It does not produce a Will, an LPA, or any other legal instrument. It produces a written position note and a recommendation. If you decide to instruct us to draft, that is a separate matter, opened once you accept the Client Care Letter.
How do I book?
Use the button on this page, or email clientcare@bonsai.law with EPR in the subject line. We come back to you within one working day to send the questionnaire and arrange the meeting.
Send an enquiry
Tell us what you need.
A solicitor reads every enquiry and replies personally, usually within one working day. No call centre, no chatbot.