If you pass away without a will, then your family may be burdened with many months of confusing, emotional and distressing times, as the contents of your estate are divided up in accordance with intestacy rules. This might not be by the wishes that you have verbally set out or given to those around you and may result in people you wish to benefit not doing so.

Unfortunately, intestacy rules have needed to be established because when there is no will to be found, there is no way of knowing what an individual’s wishes would be. In many instances, even though solicitors are able to see that those a deceased has been living with would benefit most from the items and money in their personal estate, if these people are not married to the deceased or connected closely by blood, then it is legally not theirs to own.

Therefore, it is imperative that every individual speaks with a probate solicitor Emsworth so that they are able to lay out their wishes for their estate so such confusion, heartache and pain is not unnecessarily placed upon the people that they love.

Our probate solicitor Emsworth makes sure that the process is straightforward, simple and fast so that you do not have to think too much about the situation unless you want to. By simply having some documentation that states you would like to pass on certain things to certain people, we can all understand what your wishes are after you can express them no longer.

Is it more important for some people to write a will than others?

If you have children, if you are in a ‘de facto’ relationship or have other not so simple or legally binding agreements in place with your friends and family, then it is more important for you to speak to a probate solicitor Emsworth and discuss your wishes than for others.

This is because intestacy rules will not always be in favour of those who you would like them to be.

Can I write a will on a piece of paper?

At a pinch, writing out your wishes and placing it in your underwear drawer is better than nothing, although your family and friends may still strike issues, as the court has no idea whether it was you who wrote such a thing or if you did it under your own free will.

Also, if there is some misunderstanding or disagreement between your family and friends in relation to how you have expressed your wishes, they are able to contest it, something much more easily done if your will is just a scrap of paper hidden away.

Remove the doubt in your mind about what will happen to what you own after you have passed on and come on in to see us so there is one less thing to think about. You will be surprised to feel that weight lifted off from your shoulders after you leave our firm and we will be delighted to offer you that peace of mind and a professional, compassionate service.