Three Tips For Making Your Will From One Of The Oldest Solicitors In Liverpool

For many people, making a Will is something to put off. People think that it is time consuming, unnecessary or just too morbid an area to spend time on. This is a mistake! Drawing up a will is one of the most important documents that can be made, and it requires time and effort in advance. Without a will or with a poorly written one after you are gone, problems can arise that can cause anguish for loved ones at an already difficult time. Here at Bell, Lamb & Joynson, one of the best solicitors in Liverpool, we see this too often so here are three tips for making your Will, all of which are essential to making it easier for your family, and clearer in the eyes of the law after you are gone.

1. Who and What

When you write your will you will have to be explicit about what you own and who you want to leave it to. To do this successfully it is a good idea to create an inventory before writing your will for all your belongings, so that you can then make sure you include everything of worth in the will itself. Whilst not formally necessary it may also be a good idea to make your family members of what they can expect from your will, as well as asking the appropriate people to be legal guardians if you have a young family. Finally it is also a good idea to have picked/ asked someone to be the executor of your will. In our years as solicitors in Liverpool we have encountered hundreds of instances where a Will does not have an executor, and at such times making sure the instructions of said will are followed becomes much more difficult.

2. Arrange your own funeral

Some people are keen to plan their funerals down to the last details, others prefer to leave as few instructions as possible. It is entirely down to you but you do need to think about this and decide appropriately. Choosing to leave it to however your loved ones want to proceed is fine, choosing every part of the service you want is also fine, just so long as you choose something.

3. Phone a friend

You will need at least two people to be present for when you sign your Will, neither of whom can be included in its contents. This is a rule people often fail to follow and during our time as solicitors in Liverpool we have had more than one case of a will becoming null and void because of an issue during the signing. Don’t make this mistake. Similarly, make sure you tell someone where you will keep your Will so that they know where to come after you are gone.

Ultimately the best advice we can give as solicitors in Liverpool is to use a solicitor to write your Will. Issues such as having two people present at the signing, funeral arrangements and inventories can all be handled by your solicitor and in some respects this offers the least hassle for you. If you choose to write your own Will, keep in mind our three tips so as to avoid any unneeded anguish after you are gone.

Bell Lamb & Joynson Solicitors Liverpool are the best experienced solicitors having expertise in Family and Criminal Law.