Estate planning specialists
Estate planning, Wills and trusts for Devon families
We help families across Devon and the South West protect their home, savings and loved ones with a clear written plan. Fees are agreed in advance, and we come to you.
27 Years of estate planning experience
STEP Affiliate Member, The Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners
£2m professional indemnity insurance
5.0 rating from 24 Google reviews
Why choose us
Specialist advice, with a personal touch
We bring 27 years of experience and have advised thousands of private and business clients. Estate planning is our sole focus, and every plan is built around your family, because no one size fits all.
Expert partners
SRA-regulated solicitors, full STEP members and tax and trust specialists, with advice underpinned by King’s Counsel opinion.
Fully insured
£2m professional indemnity insurance on all our work.
Clear fees
Your fee is agreed with you before any work starts.
We come to you
At your home anywhere in Devon and the South West, or by video.
Michaels & Co is an estate planning consultancy, not a firm of solicitors. Legal work, such as preparing trusts and applying for probate, is carried out by our preferred partners, who are SRA-regulated solicitors and Tax & Trusts Corporations.
Why plan
A Will alone is not always enough
Most of the Wills we review leave gaps. Families can lose what you intended them to have through events nobody planned for. We call it accidental or sideways disinheritance, and each of these risks can be planned for.
Your partner remarries
Your home can pass to their new family instead of your children.
A child divorces
Their inheritance can be lost in the divorce settlement.
Care fees
Long-term care can use up the home and savings you meant to pass on.
Debts or bankruptcy
Money left outright to a child is exposed to their creditors.
A child dies first
If their spouse remarries, your grandchildren can lose out.
Inheritance tax
Without planning, tax can take a large share, and pensions count from 2027.
Not sure if your Will covers these? We’ll check it for free.
What we do
Estate planning services in Devon
Estate planning goes further than a Will. We look at your home, savings, pensions and business together, using tried and tested solutions checked by STEP practitioners and approved by King’s Counsel.
Protecting your family’s inheritance
Help keep what you leave in the family, whatever happens: remarriage, a child’s divorce, creditors, or the cost of care later in life.
Inheritance tax planning in Devon
The legal ways to reduce what your family pays, including the pension and business relief changes in 2026 and 2027.
Disability trusts
Provide for a family member with additional needs without putting their benefits at risk.
Wills
Make sure everything goes where you want it to, and choose who looks after your estate and your children.
Lasting powers of attorney
Choose who decides about your money, health and care if you ever can’t.
Deed of variation
Within two years of a death, change who inherits, which can reduce inheritance tax.
Trust taxation
Tax returns, registration and the ongoing tax rules for trusts you already have.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us about your family and we’ll point you to what matters, with a free review of any Will you already have.
For business owners: Protecting business assets Cross option agreements Shareholder trusts
Here’s how we work
Three steps. No jargon, no pressure.
You always know what happens next, and your fee is agreed before any work starts.
01
A free call or meeting
We talk through your family, what you own and what you want to happen, by phone, video or at your home.
02
Your written plan
We analyse your situation and send you a written summary with a plan tailored to your family.
03
Put in place, then supported
We put everything in place with our partners, and stay on hand as your life and the rules change.
Reviews
What families say about us
Rated 5.0 from 24 reviews on Google.
★★★★★
“Michael Doctors has a natural ability to grasp complex personal circumstances and responds with clarity, professionalism, and warmth. He creates a calm, unhurried space to talk through sensitive topics.”
Nicola W.
Google review
★★★★★
“We were looking for advice on how best to secure our family home in Exmouth for our daughter and her children. Michael, working with a law firm, has helped us establish a bespoke Trust and new Wills which exactly fits our needs. Michael is a good listener and was clear from the start about what he could do and how much his service would cost.”
Ian T.
Google review
★★★★★
“Michael has been an excellent person to deal with and I’m very happy with the outcome.”
Virginia N.
Google review
We come to you
Advice at your kitchen table
We visit you at home anywhere in Devon and the South West, at a time that suits you, or meet by video. Your first conversation is free.
Free Will review
We check your Will still does what you want.
Free estate planning guide
A plain-English guide to read at home first.
Questions
Estate planning, answered
The questions families ask us before their first conversation.
Tax rules on this page were checked against GOV.UK on 28 October 2026.
Do I need estate planning?
If you own a home, have savings or a pension, or have children, a plan makes sure everything goes where you want, with as little tax and delay as possible. At the first meeting we tell you plainly whether you need to do anything at all.
Do I need inheritance tax planning?
If your home, savings and pensions together could be worth more than the tax-free allowances, it’s worth a conversation. We’ll show you the allowances you can use before anything else.
Who is the best person to talk to about estate planning?
Someone who specialises in it. Estate planning is all we do, and we work with SRA-regulated solicitors, full STEP members and tax and trust specialists, so you get specialist advice and properly prepared documents in one place.
What is the biggest mistake people make with a Will?
Leaving everything outright and assuming that is enough. A simple Will can’t protect your children’s inheritance from remarriage, divorce, care fees or creditors. We check for these gaps in every Will we review.
Will you come to my home?
Yes. We visit families at home across Devon and the South West, or meet by video if you prefer.
What will it cost?
Your fee is agreed with you before any work starts, so you know exactly what you’ll pay.
How long will it take?
Once you’ve decided on your plan and instructed us, signed documents usually take two to three months. Registering trusts with HMRC will take some weeks, and the Land Registry can take 12 months or more after that. We keep you updated throughout, and your estate planning is legally valid from the moment you sign your documents.
Free first consultation
Let’s talk about protecting your family
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