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David Bird

Partner, Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate

I specialise in wills and probate, trusts, tax planning and general advice for the elderly, including powers of attorney and Court of Protection matters.

I have been working in this field since I qualified, and deal with a variety of matters including more complex Estates and inheritance tax planning.

I qualified as a solicitor in 1995 and joined Crane & Staples in April 2000, becoming a Partner with the firm in April 2003. I am currently the Firm’s finance partner and COFA.

I am the Head of the Wills and Probate (Private Client) Department at Crane & Staples. For many years, I have been an active member of the Hertfordshire Law Society Probate and Trust Committee, which I now chair.

I am a full member of both Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

I was Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Hertfordshire Law Society from January 2002 until January 2008, when I became Vice-President. I served as the Hertfordshire Law Society President in 2009, and remain on its governing Council. I previously sat on a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) sub-Committee looking into Alternative Business Structures.

Outside the office

My sporting interests are very much of the outdoor variety – such as skiing, cycling and mountain walking although I still play indoor 5 a side football.

I also have a passion for history and a decent pint of real ale! Many of these activities have been somewhat curtailed since the birth of my two sons!

  • My wife and I have used Crane and Staples to prepare our Wills. We found David Bird to be both friendly and efficient, explaining the technicalities of the process and documents very well. We feel confident that his advice will benefit both ourselves and our eventual beneficiaries.

  • Thank you for your sympathetic handling of all matters relating to our father’s Estate. You made a difficult time easier for us to get through.

  • David Bird has consistently demonstrated an ability to gain a rapid appreciation of client requirements and to articulate advice in helpful terms that the layman can understand easily. This has proved invaluable in arriving at effective solutions relating to the financial management of family affairs.