Wills and estate planning solicitors

Leaving a will

Regardless of age, health, wealth or family circumstances, all adults should have a will. With more complex family structures, your wishes for when you’re no longer here, may not be obvious.

Intestacy rules rarely reflect the intricacies of real family life, particularly in blended families, unmarried partnerships or where there are vulnerable or disabled beneficiaries to consider. A carefully prepared will gives you peace of mind, and helps to protect your assets and ensure your wishes are followed when you’re not here.

Everyone’s family circumstances are different, with some more complicated than others. With a clear understanding of your wishes, our wills and estate planning solicitors support you in planning a legacy for your family, friends or charity.

Leaving a legacy and estate planning

A carefully prepared will gives you control over what happens to your estate, your possessions and enables you to appoint a guardian for your children after your death.

People come to us at all stages of life and across all levels of wealth. Some have straightforward circumstances and simply want a clear, properly drafted will. Others have complex asset portfolios, business interests, overseas property or family situations that require careful thought, specialist structuring and an estate plan that works as a whole rather than a collection of separate documents.

Deciding who to leave assets to in your will may not be a straightforward matter. You may have treasured possessions you want to leave to individuals or assets you wish to ringfence until children or grandchildren reach adulthood. For children, and disabled or vulnerable relatives, you could set up a trust, which may also be favourable for inheritance tax planning.

How our wills and estate planning solicitors can help

Our wills solicitors take time to understand your family, your assets and your intentions before drafting anything.

We ask the right questions to ensure your will reflects your wishes precisely and leaves no room for ambiguity. Where your circumstances call for it, we advise on broader estate planning alongside your will, including:

• trust structures to protect assets and provide flexibility
• mitigation of inheritance tax / inheritance tax planning
• lifetime gifting strategies to maximise current reliefs and exemptions
• powers of attorney and
• Letters of Wishes to sit alongside your will to guide executors on crucial matters and ensure your wishes are put into effect.

The goal is an estate plan that is coherent, tax-efficient and capable of being administered smoothly when the time comes.

Making the most of specialist reliefs for inheritance tax

There have been significant changes to Agricultural Relief and Business Relief, so it may be important to seek tax planning advice.

Families with farms and private businesses should review their estate plans, especially their approach to lifetime gifting, trust planning and business succession and liquidity.