Emma Woollard

“Emma was professional, and efficient and provided great legal knowledge in dealing with my Will. She was a pleasure to deal with and I would recommend Prettys to others.”

client

Work Synopsis

Emma is a Partner in the Private Client team, specialising in Wills, Probate, Inheritance Tax Planning, Trusts and Court of Protection matters, with particular expertise in Deputyships. She is a Full Professional Member of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers (formerly Solicitors for the Elderly) and acts as a professional Deputy and Trustee for a wide range of clients.

Emma regularly supports vulnerable individuals and their families, providing clear, practical advice in sensitive and often complex circumstances.

Emma is known for her compassionate, pragmatic and approachable manner, particularly when working with vulnerable clients and their families. She takes a thorough and considered approach to each matter, working closely with families, healthcare professionals and other advisers to provide reassurance and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Expertise

Emma advises on a broad range of private client matters, including:

• Wills and estate planning
• Probate and estate administration
• Inheritance Tax planning
• Trust creation and administration
• Court of Protection applications and ongoing Deputyship work
• Acting as a professional Deputy and Trustee

Emma has extensive experience acting for clients who lack the capacity to manage their own financial affairs. Her work includes acting for individuals who have suffered acquired brain injuries, as well as those with severe dementia or learning disabilities.

She regularly deals with complex Court of Protection matters and is experienced in managing ongoing Deputyships, ensuring compliance with statutory duties while safeguarding her clients’ best interests.

Emma is one of only two Office of the Public Guardian Panel Deputies for Suffolk and is often appointed directly by the Court of Protection to act in complex cases or where an independent professional Deputy is required. Panel Deputies are recommended by the Office of the Public Guardian and the Court of Protection in cases involving complexity or where there is no suitable family member or friend able or willing to act.

As a professional Deputy, Emma’s work is supervised by the Office of the Public Guardian, and she is subject to a strict set of professional standards.

Personal Synopsis

Outside of work, Emma is Chair of the Board of Directors for Ipswich Gymnastics, Pipers Vale, a Parish Councillor and a Trustee of The Bakers Almshouses. Emma is a mother to two very tall teenage boys and when not trying to encourage them to join her on long walks, spends time building an extension, taming a garden and editing her village magazine.

Recent Work

• Succession planning to include Wills, tax planning, land transfers and trust creation for a farming family with farmland and other agricultural assets
• Acting as a Trustee for a number of large Trust funds
• Appointment as a Court of Protection Deputy for a child following a significant clinical negligence award
• Administration of an Estate which was subject to inheritance tax which included both business and overseas assets

Awards/Achievements

• Full Professional Member, Association of Lifetime Lawyers
• Office of the Public Guardian Panel Deputy for Suffolk

Testimonials

“Personal health issues focussed our minds on our affairs. We were glad to have Emma advise us. She understood our positions and guided us through a codicil to our wills. The new PoAs were lengthy to complete so it was reassuring to have the expert do it.”

“We are confident that our affairs are in order.
Thank you.”

“Emma was professional, yet friendly. Her advice was straightforward and easy to understand. Would recommend to others needing to sort out a will. 5/5.”

“Emma was a pleasure to deal with providing a professional first-class service. She made the process straightforward and easy to understand. I would use Prettys again.”