Client Services

How can McAteer & Co Solicitors help you?

Our main private client practice areas are personal injury law, including representation of victims of institutional, clerical and childhood abuse, conveyancing, wills & probate, inheritance tax planning & asset protection, advice on nursing home fees, family law, litigation and employment law.

Abuse law

McAteer & Co is Northern Ireland’s leading law firm in the area of sexual assault and childhood abuse actions.

If you or a loved one has been through the horrible experience of being a victim of sexual, physical or emotional abuse, than our professional team may be able to help you. Whether it be by way of institutional abuse, clerical abuse, childhood abuse, abuse within the family or in any other situation, you have rights.

Our team of specialists in sexual assault and child abuse law is committed to helping victims of abuse vindicate their civil legal rights and to maximise on the legal remedies and redress available to them.

We have a demonstrated commitment to these cases and an understanding of the challenges for clients in confronting their abusers. We appreciate that talking about sexual assault and abuse is difficult so our specialist solicitors will do everything that they can to keep your distress to a minimum and will support you during the course of your case, with practical help and guidance.  

We are currently advising a large number of clients throughout Northern Ireland and the UK.  We are also advising and assisting victims groups in relation to submissions to the government task force on historical, institutional abuse established by OFMDFM. We have also made our own submission to the government task force.

You can find out more about this abuse law work on www.nidirect.gov.uk/historical-institutional-abuse-taskforce or follow our progress on our news page.

Wills, tax, asset protection & probate

We believe in a holistic approach to providing advice and assistance in this area.
Wills - It is recommended that our clients make wills to ensure that our clients benefit exactly who they wish on their death and in the most tax efficient manner.

Intestacy - Many people do not realise that without a will, their estate will pass in accordance with the law of intestacy, which sets out the order of persons entitled to an estate. This is often not what the person would wish. For example an intestacy excludes a partner if the person is not married or in a civil partnership.

Estate Administration – Often referred to as probate, we offer a caring, efficient service covering all aspects of estate administration. This process may require the involvement of surveyors, valuers, stockbrokers, accountants and financial advisors as well as HM Revenue & Customs. We take care of all of this for you.

Contested Wills - The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) (NI) Order 1979 gives specified categories of person the right to seek a share in the estate of a deceased person, if that deceased person failed to make “reasonable financial provision” for them in their will. This is an area of law with many uncertainties. There are many factors to be weighed up when advising on the prospects of success. With our experienced legal advice, many inheritance provision claims are settled without a court appearance by means of negotiation and settlement. Our litigators promote this approach when appropriate, but will act quickly to enforce your rights in the Court Of Chancery if necessary. 

Will Trusts – Often grandparents or parents may wish to leave money or property to children. We can advise on setting up appropriate trusts to protect these legacies. We also have experience in drafting trusts for disabled beneficiaries. 
Estate & Inheritance Tax Planning – The current inheritance tax rate is 40%. With careful planning, we may be able to help minimize our clients’ exposure to inheritance tax. We have experience working in consultation with accountants and independent financial advisers to obtain the best possible tailored plan for clients to ensure they make the best use of tax planning strategies available.

Asset protection and Nursing Home Fees – If you go into long term care because of mental or physical disability, your savings have to be used to pay for this and once those savings are exhausted, your house would have to be sold to enable you to remain in long term care. The cost of long term care in a nursing home in Northern Ireland is currently approximately £2000 per month and rising.  The creation of an asset protection trust allows you to live in and keep control of your property throughout your lifetime. If long term care is required, your property within the trust cannot be used to fund your care fees.

Enduring Powers of Attorney – We recommend the execution of such a document  to ensure someone of your choosing may deal with the management of your affairs during your lifetime should you become frail or suffer mental incapacity.  These documents are not just for more elderly clients and we recommend this document is prepared in conjunction with your will and estate planning regardless of the age of our private and business clients.

Controllership Applications and Office of Care and Protection Matters - If someone who is, or is becoming, mentally incapacitated has not already created an enduring power of attorney, and you wish to manage their financial affairs, you will need to apply to the Office of Care and Protection to be appointed as their controller.  We can advise you upon the procedure and assist with the application to the court.

With McAteer & Co Solicitors you can be assured your file will be dealt with by a qualified and experienced solicitor. To find out more about our services, please do not hesitate to contact John Keir.

Employment

Whether you are an employer or employee, we can help with problems in the workplace. We can advise on employment contracts, redundancy, unfair dismissal and equality and discrimination issues.

We also advise on issues arising before, during and following employment termination and on the acquisition and merger of businesses.

To find out more about our employment law services, please do not hesitate to contact Ciaran McAteer.

Conveyancing/Property

We act in the sale and purchase of residential and buy to let houses and apartments. Our experienced team can help take the stress out of buying for first time buyers, and advise landlords of their duties and obligations under the Private Tenancies (NI) Order 2006. Our Business Law department also advises property developers.

We also conduct re-mortgages. Remember you do not have to go with the solicitors your new lender suggests! If your mortgage deal is coming to an end, contact us to quote you a competitive price.  

With McAteer & Co Solicitors you can be assured your file will be dealt with by a qualified and experienced solicitor.  

To find out more about our services, please do not hesitate to contact John Keir or Timothy Bryans.

Personal injury/Accidents

If you suffer an injury in a road traffic accident, accident at work, or due to a trip or slip, we can help. We will negotiate with insurance companies, and litigate when necessary, to obtain the best compensation for you. In certain circumstances legal aid may be available if you are in receipt of a low income or benefits. 

Remember if you suffer personal injury in a car accident you do not have to go to the solicitor your insurance company suggests. Tell them McAteer & Co will act for you and give us a ring to help. 

With McAteer & Co Solicitors you can be assured your file will be dealt with by a qualified and experienced solicitor.  

To find out more about our services, please do not hesitate to contact Ciaran McAteer or Timothy Bryans.

Litigation

If negotiation fails, we act quickly to defend or pursue your rights and guide you through the County Court or High Court process. We can help with negligence, contractual or boundary disputes, debt, insolvency, bankruptcy and judicial review. 

With McAteer & Co you can be assured your file will be dealt with by a qualified and experienced solicitor.  

To find out more about our services, please do not hesitate to contact Ciaran McAteer or Timothy Bryans.

Matrimonial and children

We can advise on divorce, separation, maintenance, financial settlements and ancillary relief (court determined financial settlements).

We can also help with access to children for mothers, fathers and grandparents. 
We can offer a robust yet caring service to protect victims of domestic violence and their homes by way of emergency applications to the Domestic Proceedings Court.

Depending on your financial circumstances legal aid may be available to assist you.   
In order to offer a non-court alternative and provide the best possible client care to those undergoing the stress of family proceedings, we can offer clients a collaborative law approach to family law.

In response to the increasing net worth of our private clients, we have developed the specialist area of drafting pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements.  

We can also advise on drafting cohabitation agreements to avoid the uncertainty in the law which results from relationship breakdown for unmarried couples.  

With McAteer & Co you can be assured your file will be dealt with by a qualified and experienced solicitor.  

To find out more about our services, please do not hesitate to contact Timothy Bryans.