It can be all too easy to put off making a Will but this could mean your estate does not go to the people you would have intended and increases the risk of conflict between your loved ones. Our friendly, sensitive Will writing solicitors in Eastbourne can make the process of getting a valid Will in place easy and stress-free.
At Heringtons Solicitors, we recommend creating a Will as soon as possible in life – a Will isn’t just for elderly people. It should be something all individuals consider writing, especially where you purchase property, when children are born, when you get married and where you have extensive assets, including cars, investments and savings.
Creating a Will is incredibly important to ensure your final wishes are followed exactly as you want them to be. Without having a Will in place, your estate will be distributed under the rules of intestacy, meaning the people you want to benefit from your estate might not be able to and stopping you from being able to reduce the amount of Inheritance Tax on your estate.
Our Will writing solicitors are compassionate and supportive. We will ensure that your every wish is exactly followed, giving you complete peace of mind about the future of your loved ones when you are no longer around.
To discuss how we can help you with making a Will, please contact our Eastbourne office or use our quick enquiry form to tell us about your requirements.
How our Will writing solicitors in Eastbourne can help you
Our local Will writing solicitors in East Sussex can assist with matters including:
Reasons to choose our Will making solicitors
Our solicitors have many years of combined experience helping a range of clients with many different Will matters in Eastbourne, East Sussex and the surrounding areas.
Our team have assisted with straightforward cases, such as writing a Will and applying to the Court of Protection for a statutory Will, as well as more complex Will matters, including where an estate is considered as high net worth. Whatever the situation, we can act as experienced Will writing guides to make sure you get the right plans in place.
While you might be tempted to use a Will writing template to make your own Will at home, this can be very risky. It is important that your Will reflects your personal circumstances and wishes, as well as taking account of all relevant UK laws and the latest rules around issues such as inheritance tax. Working with experienced Will making solicitors is, therefore, the best choice to ensure you create a valid Will that clearly sets out your wishes.
When you choose to work with our Will writing solicitors in Eastbourne, you can trust us to:
- Explain all your appropriate options in plain, easy-to-comprehend English – This ensures you are fully aware of your options and can make the best decisions for you and your circumstances.
- Always be on hand to offer support where you need it – No matter your circumstances and needs, our solicitors are on the other end of the phone or email to offer our supportive assistance.
- Always be transparent about our costs – Before the outset, we will advise on the expected costs and payment methods, either fixed fees or an hourly rate. For more information on our costs, please get in touch.
Get in touch with our friendly, experienced Will writing solicitors in Eastbourne
For any type of Will writing advice and guidance, please contact our Eastbourne office.
Or fill in our online enquiry form and we will be in touch shortly.
Our Will writing services in Eastbourne
Writing a Will
Where you do not yet have a written Will in place, our Will writing solicitors can provide advice and guidance, meaning you know exactly where your money, property and personal possessions will go in the event of your death. Writing a Will also makes dealing with your estate easier for your family and friends whilst they are experiencing grief over your passing.
Our Will writing solicitors in Eastbourne will take the time to understand your circumstances and provide tailored advice to best suit you. Where you have any outstanding debts, we will explain how they will be resolved, advise whether life insurance is suitable and recommend what needs to be included in your Will, as well as many other important matters.
Our Will writing solicitors can assist with matters such as:
- Drafting a Will
- Choosing Will executors
- Deciding who your assets will go to
- Selecting legal guardians for any children
- Drafting a letter of final wishes – for example, funeral arrangements, explanation of your provisions, where important documents are located, etc.
Updating a Will
Even where you might have already created a Will through our solicitors or another firm, it is almost certain that circumstances in your personal life will change over the years. For this reason, our solicitors will always recommend updating your Will every five years or where significant life events occur.
Our Will writing solicitors can assist with updating your Will where major life events occur, including:
- Getting married – any Wills prior to marriage become void
- Getting divorced
- Having children
- Buying property
We can provide expert Will writing advice on the best steps to suit these new circumstances. We will review your current Will and provide guidance on amendments we would propose doing, along with delivering our expert advice in concern to Inheritance Tax where your assets exceed the nil rate band.
Once the changes are determined, our Will writing solicitors can assist with updating your Will either with a legally binding codicil or creating a new Will if more appropriate.
Statutory Wills
Problems over inheritance can arise where a family member has sadly lost the mental capacity to make decisions and they do not have a Will in place or where circumstances have changed since they wrote a Will. In these cases, it is possible for a suitable person to apply to the Court of Protection for a statutory Will on behalf of the person who lacks mental capacity.
We work closely with our clients who need assistance with making a statutory Will for a mentally incapacitated person, providing the utmost sensitivity throughout, along with our specialist Will writing advice on such matters.
Where you wish to apply to create a statutory Will for an incapacitated person, our solicitors will provide advice as to whether you are eligible, and where you are, we will instruct you through the appropriate steps, such as applying to the Court of Protection for a statutory Will.
Living Wills
Unfortunately, there may come a point in our lives where we lose mental capacity and are unable to make decisions on our health care. A Living Will, otherwise known as an advance decision, are available for people to make such decisions ahead of time. This could be concerning treatments, resuscitation and other critical medical matters.
Our solicitors have the experience to help people create Living Wills in the event they may not be able to make decisions on their own behalf in the future.
Our Living Wills solicitors can assist with the following matters:
- Drafting a living Will
- Selecting medical treatment that you do not wish to receive
- Deciding if you want lifesaving treatment to be stopped at a particular point
- Deciding if you don’t want resuscitating at a particular point
Inheritance Tax planning
When our Will writing solicitors assist with the drafting of your Will, we can take the time to look at your estate and where your assets exceed the Inheritance Tax nil rate band (£325,000), we will provide advice on the best way possible to reduce the amount of inheritance tax your estate will be required to pay.
Our local Will writing solicitors can deliver assistance on Inheritance Tax planning, such as:
- Leaving money to charity
- Spending money whilst alive
- Leaving gifts
- Leaving an estate entirely to a spouse
- Equity release
Will storage
In addition to our solicitors aiding you with matters concerning writing, updating and other aspects of Wills, we are able to safely store your Will. By storing your Will with a solicitor, it will provide your family with certainty over where they can find your Will after you have passed away.
Fees for our Will writing service
When seeking help with Will writing, cost is an important consideration. In most cases, we can offer our Will making services on a fixed fee basis. In some cases, where there are more complex issues to deal with, it may be more appropriate to charge based on an agreed hourly rate, but we will always discuss this with you upfront.
To find out more about our Will writing costs, please contact our Eastbourne office or fill in our online enquiry form and we will be in touch shortly.
Reasons to write a Will
Key reasons to write a Will include:
- Making sure your estate goes to the people you would wish
- Reducing the potential for conflict between your loved ones after you are gone
- Making it easier for your loved ones to deal with your estate when the time comes
- Making the best use of inheritance tax rules to maximise the amount that you can pass on
- Giving you peace of mind that everything is taken care of
Reasons to update your Will
Making a Will is not something you can simply do once and then forget about forever. It is recommended to review your Will at least every five years and if you have any major life events, such as getting married or divorced.
Specific reasons to update your Will include:
- If you get married (any previous Will automatically becomes invalid on marriage)
- If you get divorced (especially if your former spouse stood to inherit)
- If you have children
- If you buy a property or acquire significant new assets
You will also need to update your Will if any personal details change, such as your name, or if you need to change who is named as an Executor of your Will. These types of smaller changes can usually be achieved with a codicil rather than needing an entirely new Will.
Things to consider when making or updating your Will
If you are making or updating your Will, then there are many issues you will need to consider, which is why it is so important to get expert advice when making a Will. Some key points you may need to think about are:
What assets do you need to include in your Will?
Some things, such as your home and savings may be obvious, but other assets may need more consideration. Jewellery, artwork, collectibles and many other types of assets we acquire over our lifetimes can have significant financial and sentimental value. These are the types of assets that can cause conflict between our loved ones after we are gone, so clarifying your intentions in your Will can make things much easier for everyone later.
Do you have any dependants and, if so, how will they be provided for?
Where you have people who are financially dependent on you, you should make sure that their future needs are considered as part of your estate planning. This may be something you can deal with in your Will, but you might also need to consider other options, such as setting up a trust for their benefit.
What will happen to your family home?
If you live with a spouse or partner, you may simply want them to inherit. Alternatively, perhaps you want your house to go to your children or other beneficiaries. However, things can get tricky where you live with someone who you do not want to inherit but you also do not want to leave them homeless. One solution to this is to use a life interest trust which can give someone the legal right to stay in your home after your death but, when they die or move, the property can then pass to your heirs.
What happens if you lose the ability to manage your affairs?
At the point of making a Will, something else that is well worth thinking about is what you would wish to have happen if you ever lost the mental capacity to make decisions about issues such as your home, finances, health and welfare. You can use a Power of Attorney to name a trusted person or persons to assist you with these matters if the need ever arises. This can give you peace of mind and also avoid leaving your loved ones in a difficult position in the future.
Get in touch with our friendly, experienced Will writing solicitors in Eastbourne
If you need any advice in relation to drafting a Will or any other aspects involving a Will, contact our Will writing solicitors in Eastbourne.
Or fill in our online enquiry form, and we will be in touch shortly.