Will Writing

Writing a will is the only way to ensure you have full control over what happens to your assets such as property, money and other valuables when you die.

It can also ensure that your spouse, children, and other loved ones do not pay more inheritance tax than necessary. It can reduce stress around dealing with your estate when you are gone.

While it is possible to write your will yourself, having it done professionally will establish that everything is in order and as you wish. It will also ensure that any complexities with your estate are dealt with correctly.

What types of will can LawPlus Solicitors help me with?

A single will that deals solely with your assets and covers yourself. You can write a single will even if you are married or in a relationship.
A mirror will that deals with your and your partner’s estate as a couple. An ideal solution if you have similar wishes to each other.
A trust will can provide increased asset protection, deal with inheritance tax issues ahead of time and give you and your beneficiaries greater flexibility.

What are the benefits of writing a will?

Writing a will is the ideal way to ensure that your estate will be dealt with in accordance with your wishes when you are gone.

When you use our will writing services, you can enjoy a wider range of benefits:

Write and securely store your will with LawPlus Solicitors
Review and update your will whenever you need to
Nominate loved ones or people you trust as executors to finalise your affairs
Ensure your estate’s assets go to the correct people
Minimise your beneficiaries’ inheritance tax liabilities
Appoint legal guardians for any children under 18
Reflect changes in your life circumstances from marriage to the birth of children
Leave cash or physical gifts to friends and family
Make charitable donations from your estate

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What happens if I die without writing a will?

If you do not have a will, your estate will be distributed per intestacy rules. As a result, your estate may not be distributed as you wish and may also lead to greater inheritance tax liabilities for those that do inherit your estate.

If you have children under 18 and die without a will, other people will be able to make decisions about who will become their legal guardian, manage their finances, decide how they are educated and where they will live. By writing a will, you can specify your wishes regarding all matters relating to your children.

What types of gifts can I leave to beneficiaries in my will?

How you wish to divide your estate is up to you.

You have several options for distributing your estate to your beneficiaries, including:

Pecuniary bequests, where you gift a fixed sum of money to a person or persons within your will
Specific bequests, where you leave a specific item to a person within your will. This can be anything from your house to a piece of jewellery, family heirloom, or even just your personal possessions
Residuary bequests, where you leave a person or persons a percentage of the final value of your estate after your debts have been settled and all taxes and other expenses are paid
Reversionary bequests, where you leave a gift to a person if they outlive you, but specify who you would like it passed onto instead if they do not

How does your will writing service work?

Our aim to make writing your will as straightforward and as stress-free as possible. Our will writing specialists will provide you with professional advice and guidance along the way to ensure your will fully covers your wishes.

There are certain things you might wish to consider or discuss with your loved ones before you contact us.

These include:

The type of will you wish to make and if you would like to place anything into a trust
Who you would like to leave gifts to
Whether you would like to leave any charitable gifts
Who you would like to be the executor of your estate
Who you would like to look after your children and deal with other matters relating to their finances, education and welfare

If you are not sure or have not already done this, don’t worry! Our compassionate and professional will writers will discuss your wishes with you. Where you have already made decisions, you will need to provide the names and addresses of anyone you are naming in your will.

How long does it take to write my will?

Once we have spoken to you and gathered all the necessary information, we will aim to prepare a draft of your will within 10 days and send it to you for your consideration.

If there is anything you would like to change or feel you missed during our initial discussion, we will make the necessary amendments.

Once your will is finalised and you are happy with it, we will send it to you and can arrange to securely store a copy of it on your behalf if you wish.

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Do I need to discuss my will with anyone?

It is up to you whether you decide to discuss your will with anyone. However, it can be a good idea to do so and, more specifically, your final wishes with your loved ones if you are:

Nominating someone as a legal guardian for a child under 18
Excluding a loved one from your will who would ordinarily expect to inherit from you
Planning to divide your estate unequally amongst your children
Planning to leave a significant portion of your estate to charity rather than loved ones who may expect to inherit it
Writing a trust will and are nominating trustees and want to discuss your wishes and instructions

While telling loved ones they will not get the inheritance they perhaps expected can be difficult, doing so can help avoid your will being challenged after your death and ensure your estate is dealt with in accordance with your final wishes.

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Will Writing FAQs

It depends on the complexity of your estate, if you are writing a single or joint will, and whether you need to undertake any other elements of estate planning alongside writing your will, such as a trust. We can also securely store your will if you wish. Contact LawPlus to discuss your needs and get a tailored quote to write your will.

Your will can include various instructions to ensure your final wishes are fulfilled. As a minimum, it should include instructions on who should inherit your assets, such as your money and property, upon your death.

In addition, you may include other elements including your funeral wishes.

If you have children under 18, you may wish to include instructions on who should become their guardian should the other parent already have died, or in case you were to both die at the same time. You can also include details of trusts so that you can provide financially for your children and wider family when you are gone.

On top of this, you can also leave instructions for charitable donations, what should happen to any pets, and even who should take over your social media accounts!

No. However, if you do not have a will, your estate will divided in accordance with the rules of intestacy. Even if the rules of intestacy would result in your estate being divided how you would instruct anyway, it is still a good idea to have a will, as doing so can also help to reduce complexities with your estate and may enable you to reduce any inheritance tax liabilities.

It is a good idea to write a will as soon as you start to acquire assets; some people even recommend writing a will as soon as you turn 18 and then ensuring it is up to date every few years.