Devendra Rampersaud
Managing Director, Founder, Solicitor
Devendra is the founder of Guardian Solicitors (formerly Guardian Wills and Probate Services), a law firm he started after going through a difficult time caring for a very close relative. “I never want anyone else to go through the heartache I experienced, so I started my own wills and probate firm to really help people in their darkest hours,” he says.
Before launching his own practice, Devendra was head of wills and probate at Glazer Delmar Solicitors, a large south-east London practice, and earlier a partner and department head at Stanley de Leon in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, where he specialised in wills and probate. He read law at Brunel University, qualifying as a solicitor in 2006 while completing his training contract at Barnes and Partners, Enfield.
Devendra specialises in wills, administration of estates, lasting powers of attorney, court of protection applications, elderly care issues, probate disputes, inheritance tax and NHS continuing care appeals. He is also a member of the Judicial Shadowing Programme, which provides lawyers with insight into the work of a judge.
‘We try to help people during what is generally a very traumatic period in their lives’
What’s a typical case? “I recently saw a lady who lost her husband. Three months ago, I dealt with preparing both of their wills but the husband has now sadly died. I’ve been going through the formalities of what the wife has to do with her husband’s estate and answered any questions she has about what happens next. I wanted to put her mind at rest, take away the paperwork side and make it as easy as possible for her.”
“In a nutshell, that’s what we do. We try to help people during what is generally a very traumatic period in their lives, when they have lost a loved one, or someone is terminally ill or been diagnosed with dementia.”
“We help them through that process and our mantra is very much to help the client and leave the money side of things until afterwards.”
Interests: Cricket (former opening bat for Edmonton CC, North Middlesex representative XI), golf, squash, travelling overseas, music (modern/classical). Ambitions include creating a law firm that really helps people when they need it, so much so that “when you think about solicitors, you think about us”.