Wills Solicitors.

A will is important because it can decide how your assets are divided and who inherits from your estate when you pass away. In a circumstance where there is no will, any unaccounted assets are distributed following specific rules known as the ‘intestacy rules’. Under the intestacy rules, the deceased’s estate can only be inherited by their spouse, civil partner and a few other relatives. Therefore, distant relatives may end up inheriting from your estate over partners and step-children. Making a will ensures the following:

• Your money and possessions are distributed according to your wishes.
• Unmarried partners and partners who have not registered a civil partnership can inherit from each other.
• Step-children can inherit.
• You can make provisions for your children in situations where one or both parents die. For example, appointing a guardian to raise your children.

There’s no set time in someone’s life to make a will. However, the sooner you make a will, the better, as you never know when the worst can happen. Furthermore, your first will may not be your only will. You can alter or write a new will at significant periods of your life. For example, if you get a divorce and no longer want your former partner to be a beneficiary. Some key moments in someone’s life where it’s beneficial to get a will include:

• Purchasing a substantial asset, for example, a house.
• Becoming a parent.
• You’re in a relationship but haven’t chosen to marry or enter a civil partnership.
• You’re getting a divorce.

With Britton and Time, you can complete your will in 4 easy steps, which are:

• 1. Contact us. Speak to a member of our team on 020 3007 5500, who will briefly discuss your estate and give you a price estimate. Following this, you will be sent a wills questionnaire and booked in for a consultation with our will solicitors.
• 2 Consultation. In this consultation, you will sit down with one of our will solicitors, who will listen to your wishes and go through your wills questionnaire with you.
• 3. Draft your will. Once our solicitors understand your wishes, we will draft your will accordingly.
• 4 Completion. Finally, once you’re happy with your will we can sign, store and register you will on the National Free Wills Register.

The cost of a will depends on the assets in your estate, who the beneficiaries of your will are and whether you already have a will that you wish to make small alterations to.

With any will, we offer free will storage and free will registration on the National Wills Register.

Due to your will being the document that distributes your estate, it’s essential that it’s correctly drafted. Any mistakes in the will may result in costly but avoidable problems, for instance, your true wishes falling into question. Our will solicitor’s guarantee:

• Your will is drafted correctly.
• The likelihood of your will being contested is minimised.
• Free will storage.
• Free will registration on the National Wills Register.
• Simple inheritance tax advice to minimise tax.