Charles Fraser

Charles qualified as a solicitor over 25 years ago and advises individuals and families about their wills, trusts and inheritance tax planning arrangements with a particular emphasis on elderly and vulnerable clients.

He sees his job as helping people to make the right decisions about their estates and inheritance matters, often in the face of conflicting (and frequently incorrect) advice and opinions clients have been exposed to from family, friends, the media and other sources.

By taking the time to get to know clients and understand both what they are trying to achieve and why they want to achieve it, Charles can cut through any confusion and provide clear, pragmatic advice that helps clients do what they actually need to. This includes giving clients a full understanding of all the potential consequences of any decisions they make, so they don’t leave any nasty surprises for their loved ones in the future.

Charles is a member of STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), which is a global network of leading legal professionals in the field of inheritance and estate planning. In 2020, Charles completed the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients with Merit, reflecting his particular expertise in this area.

Charles is also a member of the Law Society Private Client Section and is an accredited member of Association of Lifetime Lawyers. He was a member of the Law Society Wills & Equity committee from 2004-2014. He is a past president of the City of Westminster Law Society.

Career

Charles was always firmly focused on a career in law, studying Law (LLB) at the University of Wolverhampton (1991-1994) then moving straight onto the Legal Practice Court (LPC) at Nottingham Trent University (1994-1995).

Taking up a Training Contract straight out of university, Charles qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and has been specialising in private client work ever since.

Charles joined Longmores in 2015 where he has been instrumental in the continued development and growth of our well-established Private Client team.

Expertise

Charles specialises in:

• Will Drafting
• Powers of Attorney
• Administration of estates
• Court of Protection applications
• Continuing healthcare appeals
• Deferred payment agreements
• Inheritance tax Planning
• Trust drafting (including associated documentation)

Charles has recently been advising families in connection with the following issues:

• Mother had just moved into a care home and son was looking after his mother’s affairs. He didn’t want to sell mum’s house so Charles arranged a deferred payment agreement with the local authority.
• A lady wanted to be able to look after her brother’s finances, as his bank account had been frozen. He was severely autistic and could not manage his affairs. Charles applied to the court of protection for her to be appointed as his deputy.
• A young couple wanted simple wills ensuring that guardians were appointed to look after their young children in case they should both die.
• A daughter wanted to appeal the decision by the local NHS Clinical Commission Group (CCG) to withdraw funding for her mother.
• A father and son who ran a farm wanted Powers of Attorney in case the son should have an accident or if the father had another heart attack to allow the other or their nominated Attorney to continue running the farm whilst they were incapacitated.

Community

Charles acts in a personal capacity as the trustee of two charities:

• CanalAbility – an award-winning charity that provides canal boat holidays and day trips for people with disabilities, their families and friends.
• Future Living Hertford – which provides advice and therapy for people living with addiction and the impact of domestic violence.

He also supports the Alzheimer’s Society and a local group that works with parents of autistic children.

Recognition

Charles is a member of the Law Society’s Private Client Section.  He is also a full member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) – the leading global association for legal professionals in the areas of inheritance and estate planning and passed their STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients with Merit in 2020.  Charles is also a full member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE).

Charles has been recommended by the leading client guide, the Legal 500, for his private client expertise.

Professional feedback

“This practice was recommended to us as we needed new wills and Power of Attorney agreements. We found the solicitor Charles Fraser very helpful and efficient. Unlike the firm we used previously Mr Fraser did not ‘lead’ or hurry us but good documentation was provided and any queries were clearly answered and the implications explained.” The Legal 500 2025

Personal interests

Charles is a fan of rugby and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, as well as good food and wine,

He is bilingual in English and French.