A simple will could have sorted things out. For a simple will, we would normally expect to charge in the region of £50 plus VAT. The more complex things get, the more we would expect to charge. You can, however, rest assured that you can achieve peace of mind at relatively little cost.

If you instruct us, we will:

• Send you a written questionnaire, so that you can let us have all your basic details in advance of our first meeting.
• Meet with you to discuss your requirements
• Submit a draft will to you for approval or amendment
• Provide witnesses when you complete the will
• Call to see you at home or in hospital if you are not able to travel to our offices

Making a will is important for everyone, whatever your means. In case you haven’t got a will, you may wish to know how the Intestacy Rules would affect the distribution of your estate.

Consider the example of an elderly spinster, whose parents had died many years ago and who was also pre-deceased by her brother and sister. She left no children. Her brother left one child, her sister six, who each had two children of their own. The sister’s children had all looked after auntie and assumed, when she died, that they would share her estate. Not so. They would share half of the estate, getting one twelfth each. Their cousin, who never had any contact with auntie, would get the other half.