• Do you have your permanent home in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
• Are you of sound mind? i.e. do you understand what you are giving away, how you are giving it away and who you are giving it to?
• Are you over 18 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or over 12 in Scotland?
• Do you have less than £312,000 worth of assets? This figure is the current value of a person’s assets that is free from Inheritance Tax. For the purposes of your Will, ‘assets’ include your property, personal possessions, cash, savings and investments. Note that some insurance policies cannot be left in your Will. You need to check with your insurance provider. Sometimes your pension rights cannot be included in your Will so you should check with your pension provider. If you own a property as a joint tenant (if you do not know how you own your property, then check with the solicitor who did your conveyancing), then your share of that property will automatically pass to the other owner and therefore will not be included in your Will.
• Is all the property you own in the UK? If you live in England and own a property in Scotland or Northern Ireland, the property is considered to be foreign property because it is in a different legal jurisdiction. The same applies if you live in Scotland and own a property in England or Northern Ireland, this property is considered to be foreign property because it is in a different legal jurisdiction. Therefore, you need to take legal advice in the country where the property is situated.
• You do not own a business or share in a business? If you run a business on your own (sole proprietor), are part of a partnership or if you own all or part of a private company you should take legal advice.
• You do not have children? An unmarried father does not automatically have parental responsibility (the ability to make decisions about their child’s welfare) unless the child was born after 1 December 2003 and the father is named on the birth certificate. The unmarried mother automatically has parental responsibility. The appointment of a guardian in your Will is only effective after both parents with parental responsibility die. So if the father does not have parental responsibility, it is possible for a mother to name someone in their Will other than the father to be the child’s guardian.

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Age Concern Legal Services offers legal advice and support through Irwin Mitchell‚  one of the UK’s leading law firms and 2007 National Law Firm of the Year. They realise life doesn’t always go to plan, so they offer an easy to access service to help you understand when legal help may be necessary. You can have a free consultation with one of their friendly advisers who will listen to your situation and explain how they can help you. They will also let you know how much it will cost to proceed with the advice you have been given.

Whatever your age‚ Irwin Mitchell can advise you on a range of legal issues including Will writing, one of the most important things you can do for your family.Similar Posts:

• Can I Use a DIY Will? – You don’t always need to have a solicitor to draw up a legally valid will. If you answer NO to any o …

What will happen is that the law of ‘intestacy’ will apply which in simple terms means that the bulk of your estate will go to your spouse or, if none, to your children and, if none, to other specified blood relatives. If this is not what you want to happen to your estate then make a Will today.

If you’re not married and have not made a Will, your partner may receive nothing. You must state in your Will if you wish your partner to inherit your estate.

If you already have a Will but have recently been divorced or married your current Will may be invalid. It is advisable to do a review of your circumstances on a regular basis and have a new Will drawn up if at all in doubt.

Making a will is not necessarily a complex or expensive business, particularly if your affairs are pretty straight forward. There are three ways you can draw up a will:

• Solicitor – this is the most expensive method but if your affairs are complicated this is the only safe way of ensuring your estate is dealt with in the way you wish. Don’t know where to begin? Then find a solicitor via the Law Society (UK only).
• Buy a Last Will & Testament Pack – these are available at most post offices and some bookshops. Amazon.co.uk also supply them, click here to see Amazon’s DIY Wills for use in the UK or here for those for use in the US. These wills have to be signed infront of witnesses before they become legally binding.
• Complete the details online – there are several companies available who offer this service. You fill in all the forms online then they send you a copy of the will via email you then just need to sign it infront of witnesses to make it legally binding. One such company is Global Wills.

If you’re not sure if you need to have a solicitor draw up your will take a look at our simple guide.Similar Posts:

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