Wills & Succession Law

Ensuring your assets pass into the right hands

Wills & Succession Law

We appreciate it can be difficult to envisage a time when you’re not there to provide for your family and preparing a Will can be the last thing on your mind.

Planning early can, however, be advantageous for many reasons and many of our clients find the process of preparing a Will a cathartic one. We are there to guide you through the process; your Will is the cornerstone of any planning exercise and ensures that not only will your assets pass to your chosen beneficiaries and family members, but your Will is also drafted to ensure that this happens in the most practical and sensible way to safeguard your assets and loved ones into the future. A Will can also contain provisions for the ongoing care of minor children, business succession and even detail your funeral wishes; it will also ensure that people you trust are appointed as Executors and Trustees to look after things when you’re no longer around.

We appreciate that your ultimate aim is to provide for your family and loved ones but it may not be in their best interests to receive your estate immediately on your death. This can be for a number of reasons including bankruptcy, divorce, bad spending habits or indeed because of a disability or vulnerability. We can guide you through the options available to safeguard them and their inheritance using protective trust vehicles
We will draft your Will and any supplementary paperwork needed to ensure that your wishes take effect on your death and that your executors and beneficiaries understand the thought processes behind your chosen planning decisions
It is not always the main driver for clients, however, minimising tax liabilities can sometimes be crucial to clients when planning for their succession. We offer a comprehensive service taking into account both the practical implications and fiscal implications of your particular plan – this can help you make the correct decision for you
Choosing appropriate executors and trustees is essential. Our team of specialists have many years of experience of administering estates and subsequent Will Trusts that may arise on your death. You can appoint our experienced partners to act as your executors and trustees ensuring that your estate is administered correctly and that any trusts established are administered in the most efficient manner. Professional executors and trustees provide an objective and professional ear during a difficult time. Alternatively, we can support and provide advice to your chosen executors and trustees in their role

Our approach
We like to listen and we believe this is the most effective way of us helping you to achieve your goals. We won’t over complicate matters unnecessarily and will set out the most effective way to ensure you Will is tailored to you needs in a timely manner.

The way we help you
Creating a Will is just part of the succession planning process, but maintaining it is also important. We will strive to build an ongoing relationship with you to ensure that the plans you put in place today continue to be effective and applicable to yours and your beneficiaries’ changing circumstances, changes to legislation, and in legal best practice.

Your journey through the legal process
Not everyone is aware of how the process of engaging divorce lawyers works, so we’ve provided an overview below to give you some peace of mind:

Once you’ve submitted our online questionnaire to the right of this page or by using the button below, you’ll be assigned to a member of our team.
A member of our team will call you within 1 hour to gain further details and discuss your bespoke Will.
Our Wills are tailored to your needs and circumstances and start at £660 (occasionally it can exceed this is a more complex Will is required)
Should you then decide that you wish to use our services, you’ll receive a breakdown of all our costs and a pack of on-boarding documents.
After that, we will work closely alongside you to ensure your Will covers all your needs and is completely bespoke to you.

Fill out our online questionnaire

Frequently asked questions

Meet the team

Request a free call back

The form guides you through some simple questions so we can provide you with the right guidance and advice on your Will.

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Frequently asked questions

We've put together a set of commonly asked questions to help you understand more about the benefits of having a Will, the process and how much our bespoke Will writing services cost.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with us or call us on 0800 689 0741

Why should I make a Will?

Making a Will is the only way to ensure that your wishes in relation to your property and personal and financial affairs are carried out after your death.

It is also a great opportunity for personal tax planning and can ensure that valuable inheritance tax reliefs are available to your executors. It can also include trust structures that can be tailored to your intended beneficiaries’ particular needs, for example, if you have young children, vulnerable family members or you wish to benefit charitable causes long into the future.

Making a Will also gives you freedom to appoint your executors, who will administer your estate and look after things for you when you’re no longer around. These could be family members, friends or professionals. Your executors have authority to deal with your estate immediately on your death, including making arrangements for your funeral.

If you have children under 18, you can also appoint guardians to look after them if you die and include this information as part of your will.

Having a Will in place will give you and your family the peace of mind and certainty that your wishes will be followed on your death.

What is the Will making process?

Initially, we will meet with you to discuss your financial and family position, as well as your wishes in respect of your estate. In the current climate with coronavirus, this meeting will be held via video conferencing or telephone.

Once you have decided how you would like your Will to be structured, we will prepare draft documents and send them out to you to review, together with a summary of the matters discussed at the meeting and the advice given.

We will answer any queries you may have and make any necessary amendments to the documents, before preparing the final will for your signature.

According to your preference, the final Will can either be sent out to you with instructions for how to sign it to make it legally binding, or we can meet with you again to arrange for this to be signed with us.

When the final Will has been signed, we will store your Will safely for you free of charge and provide you with a copy for your records.

How much does it cost to make a Will?

Wills are personal documents and we, therefore, tailor them to fit your circumstances; when we know what the right Will for you is, we can provide an accurate cost estimate.

Our costs for preparing a bespoke Will start at £660 including VAT (it will occasionally exceed this if a more complex Will is required).

The costs are far outweighed by the reassurance that your estate will pass to those who you wish to benefit, and the estate administration will be less complicated and time consuming for your loved ones.

How long will it take to create a Will?

Putting a Will in place with us can be surprisingly quick and could be prepared in a matter of days. For example, should you need to make a Will for health reasons, or because you are going abroad on holiday and want to put your affairs in order quickly, we will work with you to ensure your Will is prepared before you leave.

Generally, we will produce a draft Will for you within a week of our initial meeting, and once your draft Will is approved, we will aim for you to sign it as soon as possible.

What happens if you die without making a Will?

Without a Will, you die intestate and your estate will be distributed in accordance with the rules of intestacy. The rules determine how your assets will be divided between your spouse/civil partner (if you have one), or other blood relatives in a strict priority order. These may not be the people you would want to inherit assets, particularly if you have difficult family relationships or are estranged from certain members of your family.

If you and your partner are not married or in a civil partnership, they will not benefit from your estate, even though you currently live together. Similarly, step-children and foster children cannot inherit under the rules of intestacy. If you have separated from a partner, but have not finalised a divorce or dissolution, then your spouse/civil partner will still stand to inherit, despite your separation. If you’re currently going through a divorce or separation then we can help and advice you on how to amend or draft your will to reflect these changes.

Dying without a Will can often make the estate administration process more difficult, and lengthy, particularly if the family tree and line of succession is unclear and the whereabouts of certain family members is unknown. Your estate may also be liable to pay more inheritance tax than it might otherwise have needed to.

Can a Will be contested?

Meet our Wills experts

Request a free call back

This form guides you through some simple questions so we can provide you with the right guidance and advice on your Will or you can call us on 0800 689 0741

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