Making a Will

Would you like to make a Will for the first time? Do you want to ensure that the most money possible goes to provide for your family’s future?  We can help.

As working careers get longer, house prices increase and we all own more, planning for the future becomes more and more important.  Protecting your accumulated wealth, whether for yourself or to pass to your family on your death, needs some basic planning.  Sadly many people don’t spend enough time taking some simple and cost effective steps and end up paying too much tax or losing control of their assets.

At Backhouse Solicitors we can help you take those steps with expert legal advice and support.  We can help you make a proper, tax efficient Will and ensure that your wishes are properly considered when you die.

Why Make a Will?

Drawing up a Will is generally far more straightforward than most people realise.  At Backhouse Solicitors, we can prepare a Will for you (and your partner if required) which gives you the reassurance that your money will go to the right people, whether that is your partner, your family, a favourite charity or anyone else.

Here are some of the key benefits of making a Will:

  • To give you control over what happens when you die – see our page “What Happens if I don’t make a Will?” which explains the consequences of losing control

  • To choose who inherits your estate and when – especially important for unmarried partners who wouldn’t otherwise receive anything

  • If you are a business owner, to choose what happens to your business assets

  • To express your wishes regarding your funeral

  • To nominate the executors who will carry out your wishes

  • To appoint legal guardians for your children

  • To prevent all your assets going to pay care home fees

  • To minimise the inheritance tax payable on your death

  • To give money to charity or other causes outside of your family

  • To choose the age at which minors (under 18) should inherit their share

  • To set up trusts where appropriate to look after assets, pay out to beneficiaries over time and minimise tax payable

Making a Living Will

A “Living Will” is a commonly used term to describe a document expressing wishes regarding medical treatment.  The person signing it requests that certain medical treatment should, or should not, be given in a particular situation if he/she is not able to consent or refuse such treatment at the time.

A Living Will is not actually a Will at all since it doesn’t deal with a person’s property on death.  The correct legal term is in fact an “Advance Directive”.

If you wish to make a Living Will to express your wishes, our expert solicitors will be happy to draw it up for you.  We do however strongly recommend that you discuss it fully with your doctor beforehand.  This will ensure that you understand the possible medical consequences of what you are thinking of including in your Living Will.  We also recommend that a copy of your Living Will is sent to your doctor so that it can be placed with your medical records, otherwise it may well overlooked in an emergency.

Why Use Backhouse Solicitors?

At Backhouse Solicitors in Chelmsford, we have been preparing carefully drafted Wills for over 200 years. One of our expert solicitors will sit with you (and your partner if appropriate) to establish your financial situation and find out what you would like to happen to your assets on death. We will draw up either single or joint Wills for you (discounted prices are available for preparing more than one Will), and once signed and witnessed we can store the originals in our strong room for you.

With your permission we will also register the location of your Will(s) with Certainty, the National Register of Wills free of charge. This means that if you move away, lose touch with us or forget to let your family know where your will is stored, it can easily be traced and your wishes carried out.

And here is a final benefit – making a Will with Backhouse Solicitors is probably cheaper than you think. You don’t need to risk using an unqualified, uninsured Will writer when our prices start from only £225 + VAT. Take a look at our Will Writing Service Pricing page to see various options.

We understand that making a Will is probably not at the top of your To Do list, and is easy to put off to another day.  Let us help you take the first step to properly planning your affairs.  Contact Backhouse Solicitors today to book a free 30-minute appointment with one of our expert solicitors.

Tel:          01245 893400
Email:     info@backhouse-solicitors.co.uk
Visit:       17 Duke Street, Chelmsford, CM1 1JU
Or send us a message through the Contact Us page on this website.