Making a Will
Why make a will? Sometimes the law of intestacy will achieve what you would have wanted anyway but often it does not and real hardship results. For example if you are married or in a civil partnership and have children, only £250,000 will go to your spouse. With today’s house prices in London this can cause enormous difficulty to a widow, widower or civil partner.
It is safer to make a will to ensure that matters are dealt as you wish and to avoid confusion amongst family members after your death. Your will can of course always be changed. Our specialist team can offer advice on the best way of giving effect to your wishes. Once your will has been drawn up, a copy will be stored safely in our office free of charge. You will always know where it is should you want to make any changes.
Mirror Wills / Mutual Wills
A mirror will is prepared when a couple want to make similar wills. Each may leave his or her estate to the other, so that the survivor becomes the beneficiary of the other’s estate. The survivor is free to change his or her
will as circumstances change. Mutual wills on the other hand are wills that two individuals make binding each other not to alter them. These types of wills cannot be revoked or changed after the first death.
Tax Planning
Inheritance tax can have a large impact even on a fairly modest estate. Our team can advise on the implications and on ways to mitigate this tax.