Writing Wills

What is a Will?

Your Last Will and Testament is the document used to express your wishes and intentions relating to the distribution of your assets after your death. Our specialist solicitors understand the importance of your Last Will and will make every effort to understand your wishes on a personal level so that these are reflected in your Will.

A Will consists of many elements, some of which include:

  • The Appointment of Executors – It is usual to appoint between 1 – 4 executors, executors have statutory responsibilities and will ultimately be responsible for the management of your estate, its distribution and executing your wishes, so, it is important to appoint people who you trust and believe to be capable of fulfilling this role.
  • Specific Bequeaths – you may wish to leave specific items, personal possession, cash gifts and/or other specific gifts to individual persons.
  • Appointment of Guardians for Minor Children – You may want to appoint guardians if you have minor children, you should consider the practicability of whom you appoint (for example do they live in different households, if so how will they jointly come together to be the guardians of your children).
  • Beneficiaries – After you have listed any specific bequeaths, gifts to charities, liabilities, and all other considerations, you should state how your residuary estate should be distributed (i.e. the balance).
  • Funeral Arrangements – it is common to state your funeral wishes and desires in your last will too.

Things to consider

  • Due to personal nature of a Will we usually need to see you in person, however we may be able to take your initial instructions via phone or video call.
  • We may be able to offer you a home visit for an additional fee, within a reasonable proximity to our offices – please call us to enquire.
  • There are many benefits of having a will for example an appointed executor has more powers and flexibility than a personal representative, your family and next of kin will have the benefit of seeing your written wishes, you have control over the distribution of your assets and any funeral wishes.
  • There are many benefits of having a will for example an appointed executor has more powers and flexibility than a personal representative, your family and next of kin will have the benefit of seeing your written wishes, you have control over the distribution of your assets and any funeral wishes.
  • You should regularly review your Will, especially if you have had any significant life events, certain life events may impact the status and could revoke a Will for example marriage, or divorce, so you should continue to check that your Will reflects your wishes and desir

How long does the conveyancing process take?

Our Wills can be produced at short notice if required, usually it takes us up to 1 week from receiving your instructions to finalise a simple will, however in emergencies we may be able to offer you a will in a couple of hours. In more complex cases the timeframe is likely to vary.

Typically, the process begins when the client completes and returns our Will Questionnaire downloadable from our Resources Page, one of our team will then review the questionnaire and contact you to arrange a consultation and/or gather further instructions from you.

Our Costs

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