Wills and Probate

Wills and Probate

A will is a legal document that declares how you wish your assets to be distributed after you die.

It is important that everyone makes a will, despite their age or how big or small their estate is. By making a will you can ensure that your family and loved ones receive the gifts you want them to.

If you do not make a will then your assets will be shared out among your next of kin according to a strict order of priority called the 'rules of intestacy'. This means that the people you want to benefit from your estate - such as a partner you're not married to, or are in a registered civil partnership with - might get nothing.

Many problems can arise when you pass away if you do not make a will. The people you want to inherit your estate may not as the law of intestacy will apply. There will also be a delay in obtaining your assets and therefore your next of kin will be responsible for funeral expenses from their own funds. If you had children and their mother/father had also passed without a will, a guardian would not have been appointed and this would need to then be dealt with in court which would be a long and costly process.