Making a Will

A will is a legal document in which you specify what you would like to happen to your estate (everything you own) after you pass away. You can also appoint guardians for any young children. Every adult should make a will because it is the best way to protect our loved ones.

In your will, you can also share other things that are important to you. For example, you might talk about your funeral plans or what you would like to happen to any pets.

You do not have to use a solicitor to make a will, but it is advisable. Any mistakes in a will can make it invalid or open to challenge after you pass away.

• We will make sure you consider all possible eventualities that might affect what you include in your own will.
• We will provide you with a professionally drafted Will, which expresses your wishes clearly. We can also advise you about inheritance tax to maximise the amount your beneficiaries receive from your estate.
• We have indemnity insurance, so in the unlikely event that mistakes are made, your loved ones (the beneficiaries of your will) are protected. We are also regulated for quality by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

We are completely transparent with our fees and will advise you of the cost during an initial appointment. The cost of our will writing service depends on several factors, including, for example, the complexity of your estate and whether your will is likely to contain trusts.

A person who passes away without making a will dies ‘intestate’. This means the court decides how their estate will be shared according to the rules of intestacy. The court may also appoint guardians for young children. The court’s decisions may not be what the person themselves would have wished.

Under the rules of intestacy, the first £270,000 of an estate plus half of the remainder goes to a spouse or civil partner. If there are children, they receive the other half. If there are no children, then the spouse or civil partner inherits everything.

Where a person is not married or in a civil partnership, there is no automatic right to inherit. Any children will inherit the estate instead. If somebody passes away with no immediate family, their estate is divided amongst the extended family.