Wills
Planning what happens to your assets after your death can provide clarity for your family and help ensure your wishes are properly recorded. A professionally prepared Will can set out who should inherit your estate, who should deal with your affairs and, where appropriate, arrangements for children and other dependants.
At SWM Solicitors, we provide advice on Will writing and help individuals put appropriate arrangements in place based on their personal and family circumstances. Whether you need a straightforward Will, have a more complex estate or want to review an existing document, obtaining appropriate legal advice can help reduce the risk of uncertainty or disputes in the future.
Understanding Your Will and Legal Wishes
Will Writing
Professional assistance with preparing a Will that clearly sets out your wishes for your estate, beneficiaries, executors and personal arrangements. We help ensure your Will is properly structured and reflects your circumstances and intentions.
Simple Wills
Simple Wills are suitable for individuals with relatively straightforward family and financial circumstances. We help ensure your wishes are clearly recorded and that the Will meets the relevant legal requirements.
Complex Wills
Complex Wills can address more detailed family, financial and property arrangements, including business interests, substantial assets and children from different relationships. We help structure your Will to reflect your circumstances and specific inheritance wishes.
Mirror Wills
Mirror Wills are separate Wills made by couples who wish to have broadly corresponding arrangements for their estates. We help ensure that each Will accurately reflects the couple’s wishes and individual circumstances.
Joint Wills
Joint Wills are designed to record arrangements for two people within a single Will document. As this type of arrangement can involve particular legal considerations, professional advice can help determine whether it is appropriate for your circumstances.
Updating Existing Wills
Changes to your family circumstances, assets or personal wishes may mean your existing Will needs to be updated. We can review your Will and advise whether amendments or a new Will would better reflect your current circumstances.
Will Reviews
A Will review assesses whether your existing Will continues to reflect your wishes, beneficiaries, assets and family circumstances. Regular reviews can help identify provisions that may need clarification, amendment or updating.
Testamentary Trusts
Testamentary trusts are created through a Will and can provide arrangements for managing assets after death, particularly where beneficiaries require ongoing support or management of inherited assets. We can advise on the structure and legal considerations involved in including a testamentary trust in your Will.
Guardianship Provisions
Guardianship provisions allow parents to record their wishes concerning who should care for their children if they die. We can help ensure these provisions are properly considered alongside the family’s circumstances and existing parental responsibilities.
Making Sure Your Will Reflects Your Wishes
A Will should be considered as part of your wider estate planning rather than as an isolated document. The value and type of assets you own, your family circumstances and the people you wish to benefit can all affect how your Will should be structured.
It is also important to consider who you appoint as your executors. Executors are responsible for dealing with the administration of your estate and may have significant responsibilities following your death.
Where trusts, business interests, property or complex family arrangements are involved, additional planning may be required to ensure that your Will works appropriately alongside your other arrangements.
Why Professional Will Advice Matters
A poorly prepared or outdated Will can create uncertainty for those left behind and may increase the potential for disagreement or legal challenges.
Obtaining legal advice when preparing or reviewing a Will can help identify potential issues before they become problems. It can also provide an opportunity to consider matters such as beneficiaries, executors, trusts, guardianship and the overall structure of your estate.
Your circumstances are unique, so the appropriate Will will depend on your individual situation and objectives.