Ask a solicitor: No will, no spouse, no children — who inherits the farm?

In intestacy, the estate is distributed in a fixed order, depending on which relatives are alive at the time of death, writes solicitor Karen Walsh.

In intestacy, the estate is distributed in a fixed order, depending on which relatives are alive at the time of death, writes solicitor Karen Walsh.

Dear Karen, 

My aunt passed away recently and she never made a will. She did not have a spouse or children, and a few of us in the wider family are unsure who is entitled to her estate. Some relatives are already arguing about who should sort out her affairs and who should inherit what.