A Will is a legal document that lets you decide what happens to your money, property, and possessions (your ‘estate’) after your death. It allows you to clearly set out your wishes and decide who’s responsible (executor) for dealing with your estate. It also sets out any procedures the executor may need to follow. With effective planning, a Will can also make sure that your loved ones are provided for in the most tax-efficient way.
If you don’t make a Will, the law will divide your estate according to what’s known as the rules of intestacy. These rules are very fixed and may not reflect what you’d like to happen to your wealth, or what’s most tax efficient.
More information about Wills can be found in our Wills Guide . You can also choose one of the options listed:
Making A Will
Our friendly team of experts can help you write a Will to:
Make sure your money and property go to the people you want them to go to
Minimise inheritance tax
Name trusted people as executors* to sort out your affairs when you die
Appoint legal guardians for any children who are still minors
Reflect changes in your life circumstances, such as marriage or divorce, or the birth of children or grandchildren
Ensure gifts of personal items are left to the right people
Set up trusts and make gifts to charity.
*We act as executors for many clients and have administered thousands of estates.
Choosing The Right Will Service For You
Our Will services are easy to use and can be tailored to your needs. We can help you decide what type of service would suit you best.
For simpler and more straightforward circumstances, our online or postal service could be perfect for you. However, we know that life can sometimes be more complex, involving scenarios that are unique to you and your family. This means your Will may need to reflect this, with a more tailored and bespoke solution to give you and your loved ones the confidence and security you need.
Complex Circumstances And High Value Estates
Understanding more about your personal circumstances, such as the complexity and value of your estate, will help to inform the best option for you.
If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the statements below, it may be that a more tailored and bespoke solution is right for you:
The value of your estate is over £1m
You own a business
You or your spouse have children from a previous marriage
You have made any large gifts (over £3,000 in any tax year) to individuals or Trusts
You were born outside of the UK or have assets outside of the UK
Any of your intended beneficiaries need their inheritance protected
You are a beneficiary of a Trust.
To help you to make the right decision for your needs, please contact our team. They’ll listen to your wishes and share options for your next steps.
Sharia-Compliant Islamic Wills
A Sharia-compliant Islamic Will (Wasiyyah) can be suitable for Muslims who’d like their assets to pass in accordance with the principles of Sharia law. Our solicitors are experts in Sharia law compliance and can help you provide for your family in a way that follows your faith.
Wills Assured Service
As part of our online and postal Will Service, we also offer our Wills Assured Service. Once finalised, we can store your Will for you. If you appoint Irwin Mitchell Trustees Limited as the executor of your estate, you’ll also able to make free amendments as part of our Wills Assured Service .
This package of additional benefits is designed to make life simpler for you and your loved ones knowing:
Your Will is kept safe and will be easy to access after your death
You can update it at any time if your circumstances change
All your important digital information is in one place.
Reviewing Or Changing Your Existing Will (Adding A Codicil)
An up-to-date Will is essential for making sure your wishes reflect your current situation and includes everyone you wish.
It’s good practice to recheck your Will every five years, especially to make sure it considers any changes in tax regulations that might affect you.
We suggest reviewing your Will following major life changes, for example if:
You get married or divorced
Any of your beneficiaries get married or die
New children or grandchildren are born, and you want them to inherit
There’s a significant change in your financial circumstances
You come into any inheritance – this could change the value of your estate and the Inheritance Tax payable.
With our Wills Assured Service , standard updates are free. That means you don’t have to worry about paying extra fees to keep your Will fit for purpose.
Deciding whether to make changes to your existing Will (adding a codicil) or to write a new one will depend on the scale and number of changes you want to make. A codicil is an addition to a Will that can amend or revoke parts of it. This can be suitable if there are just one or two small changes.
If you need any large revisions, it’s often better to write a new Will to avoid confusion. We can explore these options with you and advise on what’s best for you and your loved ones.
Accessing Your Documents
Your Will belongs to you, and we’ll happily store it for you and provide you with a copy when you need one. If at any stage you’d like your original Will returned to you, just let us know and we’ll tell you what we need to send it to you. When you die, your executors will need the original Will. We can explain the terms of the Will to them and help them deal with the probate process .
Contesting Or Defending A Will
If you’ve been left out of a Will, haven’t been left as much as you expected, or think the Will is wrong in some way, you might be able to contest it.
Contesting a Will can be challenging and feel daunting. With the help of our Will Disputes Team, we can support and guide you through the process. We can also help if you are an executor defending against a Will dispute .
Lasting Power Of Attorney
At the same time as thinking about your Will, it makes sense to also consider making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) . These are useful if you’re worried about losing the ability to manage your own affairs in the future. We can discuss the options with you and help you appoint the right person to make decisions on your behalf if you lose mental capacity.
If you want to find out more, call the team today on 0808 303 8151. If you’d rather, you can use our online form and we’ll call you back as soon as possible.
Instruct our solicitors by post, phone, online or in person
Advice on all relevant tax planning and protection issues
Manage overseas assets and liaise with any experts used abroad
Experience with all types of wills from really simple to complex
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