Easy Wills

EasyWills has been designed to allow us to provide our clients with a straightforward Legal Will in one convenient and easy to make appointment.

Guide to making an EasyWills©

This guide is intended to assist you in making a Will. We hope you find this Information Guide helpful but it is only intended to give a brief outline of the topic and should not be relied on as a basis for action. We would be happy to give you more detailed advice based on your individual circumstances.

We have developed a simple streamlined Will which we have called EasyWill and references in this guide are to that service where appropriate. The benefit to you is that we can normally produce such Wills immediately and conclude matters on your first and only appointment.

There are certain eligibility criteria which you must be able to satisfy and these are explained fully in the guide.[PDF]

General advice

Making a Last Will and Testament is essential if you want to ensure your loved ones are provided for and your wishes are followed after your death. Should you fail to make a Will, or the Will cannot be located then you are classed as ‘Intestate’ and your estate will pass by the rules of intestacy. We understand that this can be a stressful and confusing process for many people. This is why we try to minimise the use of legal language and make your Will as easy to read as possible.

What do I need to think about in my Will?

There are a number of things to consider when making a Will:

Appointing Executors

You can appoint professional executors such as a firm of solicitors or personal executors, as in family members or friends. Your executor must be over 18 and responsible enough to deal with the estate. Your executors collect in the estate, pay any debts owing and the costs of administering the estate and then distribute the estate.   It is wise to appoint at least two executors in case one of them is unable or unwilling to act. It is a case of ‘hoping for the best and preparing for the worst’.

Funeral Wishes

These are not legally binding in your Will; they are mere wishes. However, many people like to include their preference for either burial or cremation.

Guardians for minor children

Should you have children under the age of 18 then it is wise to appoint guardian. The guardian will only be needed should there be no surviving parent. Specific Gifts – if you wish to leave specific items then this can be done in your Will. It can be items such as jewellery or a painting. Although there is no legal limit to the number of such gifts, you are limited to making six gifts if you are making an EasyWill

Cash Sums

These are gifts of money that are paid before the residuary estate. For example (£100 to every grandchild). Again, whilst there is no legal limit you are restricted to making six gifts in EasyWill. What you would like to happen with the remainder of the estate – once your funeral, tax and any cash gifts have been paid this leaves what is called your residuary estate. You must decide who you would like this to go to and how it is to be divided.   What happens if a beneficiary dies before you – should one of your beneficiaries die before you then you are able to make provision for their share to be re-distributed to a substitute beneficiary.

What happens once I have signed my Will?

Upon completion of your Will we offer to store your original documents in our secure storage at no extra cost. We will then send you signed copies and a letter confirming our storage of your Will.  

We also offer a complimentary registration service with the leading online Wills register – Certainty.co.uk. The content of your will remains confidential but it allows your loved ones to find out which Solicitor holds your Will using the online search service, in case they do not know when the time arrives.