We all know the importance of completing a will before we die so that our loved ones are protected and receive the belongings we leave behind for them. Wills are not necessarily complex, but they do have to be written and implemented within certain parameters of the law in order to be effective. This means that more often than not, working with a professional lawyer who specialises in wills is your best bet to writing one that is easy to administer and will not contain conflicting or difficult to understand language or information. After all, the last thing you want to happen is for your relatives to contest your will or worse yet, fight over it because the terms are too vague. The laws concerning wills change fairly regularly, and if you are not familiar with the changes, you may miss important things when developing a will. Developing a will that contains everything it needs is only possible if you work with an attorney.
How an Attorney Can Help
When you develop your will, it is easy to forget to add important items. Remember, after your death your loved ones will have a lot of questions, so your will needs to address those questions and include extensive details on what you want to happen after you’re gone. Areas such as life insurance policies, personal belongings, homes and more need to be dealt with before your death so that your loved ones know exactly what you intended after your death. A good probate solicitor will be intimately familiar with all probate laws and will guide you to make the right decisions for those left behind.
A probate lawyer will also help you decide which type of will is best for you, including:
- Mirror wills, which are similar wills, usually made by spouses who want to leave everything to the other partner; these wills can be changed or altered after the death of the first partner
- Mutual wills, which are also similar but cannot be changed after the death of the first spouse
Often, you don’t know for sure exactly what to put in your will, or which type of will you want, unless you speak to an attorney who specialises in wills and trusts. Choosing an attorney is also not that difficult, as most of them offer an initial consultation visit that is free. This is an excellent way to ask them questions so that you can choose the one that will work best for you.
Lawyers Can Handle More than Wills
Probate solicitors can help with more than just wills and trusts. They can also assist you in all areas associated with trusts and wills, including powers of attorney, inheritance tax planning, estate administration and deeds of variation, among others. Their comprehensive experience offers the assistance you need to make sure that, in the end, you receive a will that is explicit, detailed, and will stand up in a court of law should that situation ever present itself.