Inheritance planning - dysfunctional family

[numtumfutunch]

hi, not sure where to look for help with this one

In summary:

Grandparents currently in good health living in modest but still £££ house in London
6 grandchildren with projected ages of late teens to early 30's when the olds eventually pass on/die, not for a good while
Vastly sociopathic middle tier who olds are keen to disinherit for various valid reasons

Obviously Im not the mad nutter but I do strongly agree with them taking me and my my peers out of the equation and giving it all to our respective kids but Im not sure how this works or who to ask for help

Solicitor?
Fancy lawyer?
Financial advisor?
Accountant?

Pragmatically how do they pass the cash on to the kids when they are sensible enough to manage it without their parents being able to get their hands on it before then? If the worst happens sooner than expected I wouldnt want a 12y old to be worth £100k with a bonkers parent desperate to spend it on scratch cards and cider
Ive heard of trust funds but have no idea how they work in practice

Advice on where best to go for advice welcome

Cheers

[sulli]

Pretty simple I think, just do a will; fairly cheap, or free, maybe some basic advice from solicitor on holding funds in trust for kids pre 18/21 or whatever.

[Sid's Dad]

Tell your relatives to see a solicitor. Trust law is complex and specialized. So is estate planning. It's perfectly possible to leave your estate to whomever you wish, but it's often not that simple. You may need to appoint trustees - who should they be? Disinherited relatives may make a claim to contest the will - how do you avoid this happening? What about inheritance tax, which could drive a truck through their estate - how can this be minimised? This really is a job for professional. It should cost about £300 ish to do the job properly, possibly a few quid more if there are complex trusts to set up.

One last thing: encourage them to be clear and open about their wishes. Too many people leave a will that will raise eyebrows and say nothing. It's like a time-bomb that goes off just when a family is most vulnerable and emotions are high. I've seen several families blown apart by a lack of clear, kind communication over wills.