Victoria Wood

Victoria specialises in supporting older and vulnerable clients, managing their financial affairs and safeguarding their welfare. Whether her client is an elderly person with dementia, or a child with learning difficulties, she takes a carefully tailored approach to provide the support they need.

Victoria also undertakes other private client work, such as will writing, drafting Lasting Powers of Attorney, probate and estate administration and Court of Protection work. With this type of work, she particularly specialises in helping older and vulnerable people and their loved ones plan for the future and put necessary protections in place.

Career

Victoria grew up locally in Ware, just one town over from Hertford. After leaving school, she went to St Anne’s College, Oxford, where she studied Latin and Greek, graduating in 2000.

During one university summer, Victoria did work experience at a large city firm and, funnily enough, she hated it. This experience didn’t put her off law for good though – after university, Victoria moved to Kyushu in Japan to study Japanese and teach English for one year. Upon her return to the UK, she went to BPP University Law School to study her Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC), graduating in 2003.

It was during her solicitor training at a West Country high street law firm that Victoria discovered her love for everything to do with wills, estate planning and supporting vulnerable people.

For several years, Victoria worked in Bristol and Bath, specialising in private client work. She then moved to Wales in 2010 to raise her family. During her time here, she learnt to speak Welsh fluently and even became a Welsh tutor.

In 2018, Victoria moved back to Ware and rekindled her legal career. In May 2019, she joined the Private Client team at Longmores, bringing us her many years of expertise specialising in older and vulnerable client work.

Expertise

Victoria has a wide range of expertise, including:

• Advising people who lack mental capacity and cannot make their own decisions, such as:
  • People with illnesses or conditions such as dementia
  • People with learning difficulties
• Advising parents who have adult or minor children with learning difficulties or who need extra support (for example, because they have been in an accident that has affected their ability to care for themselves)
• Making Court of Protection applications to appoint a Deputy to look after the affairs of someone who lacks mental capacity
• Helping people plan for the future, including drafting:
  • Wills
  • Will trusts
  • Lasting Powers of Attorney

Probate and estate administration – sorting out the affairs of someone who has died, including paying inheritance tax and ensuring inheritance is distributed to the beneficiaries

Victoria advises people from all backgrounds and walks of life, including local people who have lived and worked in Hertfordshire their whole lives. Her previous cases range from advising local workers to handling multi-million pound estates for high net worth clients

Her approach is always to try to provide a warm, personal service. Victoria understands that thinking about the future, trying to help a relative who needs extra support, or coping with the death of a loved one are all stressful and potentially upsetting situations. Her goal is to break down the legal processes into manageable steps, helping you through the experience as smoothly and straightforwardly as possible.

Recognition

Victoria was awarded a distinction in the STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients in 2022. She was previously named STEP’s ‘Student of the Year’ in 2007 and was a committee member for the Bristol branch of STEP.

Victoria is an accredited member of Association of Lifetime Lawyers for her expertise in legal support for older and vulnerable clients, their families and carers. The Association of Lifetime Lawyers is a community of legal professionals on a mission to support vulnerable and older people with the right legal advice.

Personal interests

Victoria can speak fluent Welsh, so is happy to assist any Welsh speakers who come to her for advice.

Outside of work, Victoria loves music and singing – she plays the piano and used to be a member of a choir in Wales. She’s currently interested in joining a choir in Hertford.  Victoria also loves drawing and painting, theatre, and spending time with her four children.