Make a Will

We can help you with all aspects of making a Will. If you would like to find out more about making a Will take a look at the sections below or simply call us on 0161 749 9000 or click here for a call back [need call back button] for a free, initial discussion with one of our friendly team.

What is a Will?

A Will is a legal document that sets out what you want to happen to your property and belongings after your death. If you have children aged under 18 at your death, your Will can set out who will look after them and how they will be looked after.

It is a vitally important document that ensures your wishes are carried out after your death. It is a plan for the future that protects you and your family. We believe everyone should have a Will

Why you should make a Will

It is very important that you make a Will, whatever your age. When you have made your Will, you have made sure that, if the unexpected happened to you, your plans for your family, property and possessions will be carried out. You can also ensure that your children will be looked after and provided for.

A Will is, essentially, a form of insurance. Nobody expects the worst to happen and nobody wants to think about the worst happening, but unfortunately it is a fact of life that, at some point, we will die. If you do not have a Will, you are leaving your future, and that of your family, unprotected. You would not dream of not insuring your house or car, so why leave your future plans at risk?

When you should make a Will

As long as you are over the age of 18 and have the mental capacity to do so, you can make a Will at any point in your life.

Ideally, every adult should have a Will as we all have something we leave behind – children, money, a house, a body! Nobody likes to think about death or dying, but everyone needs a Will to make sure that, if the unexpected happens, your wishes in relation to your children, pets, property, assets, possessions, money etc and even your body, will be carried out after your death.

A Will can cover everything from child care arrangements and pet care, all the way up to the handling of your bank account/s and digital assets. If you want full control over what happens after you have died, you must start to think about your Will now.

What can you put in a Will?

In your Will, you can record and confirm your wishes in relation to all aspects of your life, including the following:

• Who you wish to appoint as the Guardians for your children
• How your property, possessions, money and any other asset is to be distributed to your family, friends and loved ones
• Special gifts of certain items or sums of money to certain people
• Special gifts to charities of your choice
• Who you wish to appoint as executors to administer your estate i.e. the people who will deal with and distribute your estate after you have died
• Identify anyone you do not wish to receive anything from your estate
• If you have young children, you can use your Will to set up a trust for them to ensure that they do not inherit money when they are too young to handle it sensibly or if you have a disabled child or a child with special needs, you can use your Will to set up a trust which will protect them financially
• If you have children from a previous marriage you can use your Will to set up a trust to ensure they receive an inheritance from you while still providing for your new spouse
• How you would like your funeral including the hymns/songs, flower, dress-code etc

A Will can also help you to protect your assets from nursing or care home fees and can also help your loved ones not having to pay more Inheritance Tax than is necessary.

A Will can also help to reduce stress and arguments within your family and friendship group. When somebody dies, even the closest of families or friendship groups can argue and fall out about what that person would have wanted to happen. This can lead to the family or friends’ relationships becoming strained and even breaking down. By making a Will, you have confirmed to your family and friendship group what you want to happen when you die. This can help them enormously at a stressful and upsetting time for them and can help avoid arguments and the breakdown of relationships.

What happens when you don’t make a Will

If you die without making a Will, you will die Intestate. This means that a set of rules, called the Intestacy Rules, will decide how your property, possessions or money should be distributed between your family. Your wishes will not play any part in how your estate is distributed between members of your family and loved ones.

These rules can have unwanted consequences for what happens to your estate after you die, for example :

• Unmarried partners, including same sex partners, and partners who have not registered a Civil Partnership cannot inherit from each other unless there is a Will. Therefore, your death can cause significant financial problems for your partner
• Even if you are married or in a Civil Partnership your spouse or civil partner may not inherit everything if you also have children.
• If you have re-married and have children in with your current and former spouse/partner, your children from either relationship may not inherit in the way you would wish or may not inherit anything at all
• If you have no spouse or civil partner and no children, your estate could pass to distant relatives, even if you have never had any contact with them.

However, the Intestacy rules only relate to your property, possessions and money i.e. your assets. If you don’t have a Will, you will have no say at all about what happens to your children after your death, you cannot provide for your pets, make special gifts to specific people or to charities etc.

A Will is the only way to make sure that your wishes for your family and loved ones are carried out after your death.

Why choose Leech & Co to help you make your Will

There are many reasons to choose Leech & Co, but we think the main ones are:

• We will always come to you and visit you in your home or at your workplace. We appreciate people have busy lives and may not want to visit a Solicitor’s office so we will not ask you to come to our office.
• We are Solicitors. This means we are fully regulated by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA), we hold full professional insurance and everything you discuss with us is 100% confidential. We are bound by professional ethics which gives you the peace of mind that your interests are fully protected.
• We are experienced and expert Solicitors, but we pride ourselves on being friendly and approachable. We will listen to you, get to know you and understand your plans for the future. We can then provide you with the expert and practical legal advice that you need.
• We provide all-round legal advice to help you plan for, and protect, yours and your loved one’s future.
• We offer fixed fees whenever we can, we discuss and agree our costs with you and ensure you are happy before we start work for you and we guarantee there are no hidden charges.

Find out more about Leech & Co and meet the team.