Will Writing
WITH A WILL YOU CAN…
- Ensure your possessions are left to people or organisations of your own choosing
- Appoint people you trust to manage your affairs after death
- Document your funeral wishes
- Appoint guardians for your children
- Help reduce, or even avoid, taxes
- Avoid the intestacy rules, which, unless you are in a marriage or civil partnership, would leave nothing for your life partner
WHY MAKE A WILL?
Having a Will is your opportunity to have a full say in how your money, property and personal belongings are shared out; and to appoint someone you trust to handle your affairs after you die.
Not having a Will means your loved ones may not be provided for as you wish them to be. It also risks leaving your loved-ones with the stress of sorting out family disputes and financial/legal issues that might otherwise have been avoided.
A Will is a legal document whose purpose is to set out your last wishes in crystal clear and legally water-tight terms; getting it right is important since mistakes can turn out worse than having no Will at all…
This is why using a qualified and experienced Will Writer, who is a full member of the self-regulatory body, the Society of Will Writers, makes sense.
HOW WE WORK / WHAT TO EXPECT
Initial Contact
During our brief introductory phone call we will book an appointment for taking detailed instructions at a later date, either at your home or by video call. This instruction-taking meeting will be thorough and will cover all relevant matters relating to your estate and family circumstances, and, crucially, what you hope to achieve. It will typically take about one hour.
Preparing for the Instruction-Taking Meeting
After the initial phone call, we will dispatch our Terms of Business, and our Client Engagement Letter confirming the service(s) you have requested, the agreed fee and the timescale.
Instruction-Taking Meeting
During this meeting we will seek to explain and clarify any legal terminology and queries you may have, and to gather all the information we will need in order to accurately draft your Will or Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) document.
Drafting & Signing Your Will or LPA
After resolving any follow-up queries, we will send you a draft Will and/or LPA Data Sheet to review. Then, having made all necessary amendments, and only when you are completely satisfied with the final wording, will we invoice you and offer a further home visit to supervise the signing and witnessing (attestation) of your Will and/or LPA document.
Safe Storage of Your Will
You may wish to securely store you Will at home. If not, we can, for an additional one-off fee, arrange for your original document(s) to be stored with the Government’s Probate Service (HMCTS).
Regularly Reviewing Your Will
Many of us prepare Wills and then forget about them, but it is important to review and update your Will to take into account changes in your personal and/or financial circumstances; such as having children, separation or divorce, coming into an inheritance, purchasing property, or changes in the law or taxation regulations. An out-of-date Will may cause just as many problems as not having a Will at all. Did you know, for example, that marriage makes your Will null and void (unless it was made in contemplation of a forthcoming marriage or civil partnership) and divorce will render certain provisions ineffective.
A Will as Unique as You Are
All our Wills are bespoke legal documents tailored to meet your individual requirements
Face-to-Face or Online Appointments
Meet us in the comfort of your own home, or online by video call.
Fixed Cost Service
All our prices are published & publicly available on this website (see our Pricing Page) as we believe in transparent & fair prices. We charge a fixed all inclusive fee, for each product or service, which is discussed and agreed with you upfront at the start, and we don’t usually ask for a penny until the job is nearing completion and we have agreed a final version of your document(s).
Minor Updates to an Existing Will
In this digital age, we recommend that a brand new Will is drafted for even minor changes, rather than using a codicil (legal document attached to an existing Will) which itself would have to be signed and witnessed in exactly the same way as the Will itself. If Greendrift Wills drafted your current Will, then we charge a reduced fee for minor revisions or updates to an existing Will.
WHAT HAPPENS WITHOUT A VALID WILL…
Without a valid Will your assets will be distributed according to the rules of intestacy, which are laid down in law and take no account of your specific wishes; and may even end up leaving everything to the State.
Single
Without a Will you miss the opportunity to state your final wishes; perhaps a charitable, political or educational donation? gift to a close friend? bequest to a God child? Or legacy for a favourite niece /nephew?
Married Couples
Without a Will it is not certain that your spouse will inherit ALL your assets
Divorced or Separated
Without a Will you miss the opportunity to make clear whether or not you want your ex-spouse or ex-civil partner to benefit from your estate
Unmarried Couples
Without a Will your cohabiting partner will not receive anything
Parents of Young Children
Without a Will you miss the opportunity to appoint guardians for your children, or to specify at what age they will receive their inheritance (between 18 and 25)
Standard Wills
In most cases, with relatively straightforward estates and financial affairs, a standard Will, which includes all the essential elements, is probably the right solution for you.
Complex Wills
If your estate contains, for example, foreign assets, business or farming interests, high value and/or complex financial affairs, or numerous named beneficiaries, then a complex Will may be necessary.
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