Advice Writing A Will

[smetrov]

Anbody any idea of how much it would cost to get a standard will drawn up - Im a pretty boring bloke, Married - 2 kids - not much savings - house with mortgage almost paid for. I want it do done through a solicitor - not a DIY online job...

 

Any companies used would be helpful...

[limpid]

http://tenminutewill.co.uk/ from memory they are drawn up by solicitor and unless you have unusual needs (you don't list any) then I don't see why you'd pay more.

[Risso]

http://tenminutewill.co.uk/ from memory they are drawn up by solicitor and unless you have unusual needs (you don't list any) then I don't see why you'd pay more.

 

We are Associate Members of the Society of Willwriters.

 

We are UK-based

 

Portology Ltd.  BVI-Incorporated. Company No. 656948

 

Head Office address: 14 Britannia Place, Bath Street, St Helier, Jersey

 

Seems legit.

 

Go to a proper solicitor as you say, there'll be a cheap, will specialist in most towns, governed by the Law Society.

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

You start with 'W', then you move on to 'i', then 'l', and finally another 'l'.

 

Easy.

[Ingram85]

You forgot the 'A'.

[limpid]

 

http://tenminutewill.co.uk/ from memory they are drawn up by solicitor and unless you have unusual needs (you don't list any) then I don't see why you'd pay more.

 

We are Associate Members of the Society of Willwriters.

 

We are UK-based

 

Portology Ltd.  BVI-Incorporated. Company No. 656948

 

Head Office address: 14 Britannia Place, Bath Street, St Helier, Jersey

 

Seems legit.

 

Go to a proper solicitor as you say, there'll be a cheap, will specialist in most towns, governed by the Law Society.

 

Indeed, it seems legit. So why use a local solicitor?

 

A will is just a declaration. You can write your own. It's a good idea to get it independently witnessed. Unless you have something unusual it's not worth spending money on.

[Risso]

No, it doesn't seem legit.  A company claiming to be UK based, that's incorporated in the British Virgin Islands with a head office in Jersey.   If they get things wrong, you've nobody to claim against at all, you wouldn't even be able to find who the directors are with a BVI company.  And it absolutely is worth spending money on, because there are lots of things you wouldn't think about and it's not as easy as "I leave all my possessions to my wife".   

 

Of course anybody can write their own, just like you can do most things yourself that other people are better at.

[limpid]

If you are dead, how are you going to claim?

 

It's a website that lets you create a declaration. There's nothing more to a will than that for most people. If someone wants to challenge your will then they will regardless of who has written it. Either their claim will have merit or it won't. The will makes almost no difference to that process.

 

If you think in some way that using someone based in the UK will make any difference (it won't, there is no such jurisprudence as UK), then that is your choice.

 

All a will is is a declaration of how you would like your possessions to be apportioned at your death. Any will can be challenged and a magistrate will only use your will as a guide to what you wanted. Of itself it does not overrule any other element of deed, entitlement or covenant  If you are married and leave everything to a charity and your wife challenges it then your will will be set aside. It is important to have a will compared with not having a will if you have no family, but that's about it.

 

In England and Wales anyway. There's a lot of nonsense talked about wills.

 

The OP doesn't need a will unless he would like to do something other than leave everything to hs family.

[chrisp65]

If you don't feel you can write a clear declaration yourself, then WH Smiths and the Post Office sell standardised forms you can fill in for about £20

[Ingram85]

[Risso]

If you are dead, how are you going to claim?

 

It's a website that lets you create a declaration. There's nothing more to a will than that for most people. If someone wants to challenge your will then they will regardless of who has written it. Either their claim will have merit or it won't. The will makes almost no difference to that process.

 

If you think in some way that using someone based in the UK will make any difference (it won't, there is no such jurisprudence as UK), then that is your choice.

 

All a will is is a declaration of how you would like your possessions to be apportioned at your death. Any will can be challenged and a magistrate will only use your will as a guide to what you wanted. Of itself it does not overrule any other element of deed, entitlement or covenant  If you are married and leave everything to a charity and your wife challenges it then your will will be set aside. It is important to have a will compared with not having a will if you have no family, but that's about it.

 

In England and Wales anyway. There's a lot of nonsense talked about wills.

 

The OP doesn't need a will unless he would like to do something other than leave everything to hs family.

 

Who mentioned jurisprudence?  Not me.  The point is that you've linked to a company who claim to be UK based, but in fact are a BVI company with a Jersey office.  If their will service is as accurate as that, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.   And wills can only be challenged in the following circumstances:  if it was written under undue influence of somebody else, lack of mental capacity, proprietary estoppel or if you're a dependent if it's contrary to the Inheritance Act 1975.  You can only challenge a will if it falls foul of one of those.  And the examples you correctly give are the exact reasons it's best to get a solicitor involved.

 

And what exactly does "leave everything to his family" mean.  Wife?  Kids?  What if his wife remarries after he dies and doesn't want anything to go to his kids any more?  All the sort of thing you can't discuss with an online service.

[limpid]

And what exactly does "leave everything to his family" mean.  Wife?  Kids?  What if his wife remarries after he dies and doesn't want anything to go to his kids any more?  All the sort of thing you can't discuss with an online service.

A will isn't a contract nor an enduring power of attorney. Once the estate is divided up, it is divided up. Your hypothetical example doesn't make sense. If he puts in his will that 50% of his assets go to his wife and 50% is divided between the kids then that's up to him. If he tries to put in a clause like "my wife gets 100% but has to give 50% to the kids if she remarries" then it's completely unenforceable. Regardless of what the will says, his wife is entitled to legally inherit and can contest a will which says something different. Ultimately it's down to a magistrate to decide.

 

A solicitor is adding no value for the OP as the OP has no unusual requirements. If you don't want to do business with using a particular website, then use another, buy a kit or just write it yourself.