Wills

Having a Will in place is one of those things that many of us put off. However, a Will is one of the most important documents that you can create in your lifetime. By making a Will, you are the architect of what happens to your estate following your death and can ensure you provide for your loved ones. If you do not have a Will in place upon your death, then a separate set of codified rules known as the Intestacy Rules take effect and you may inadvertently end up with your estate being distributed between relatives you would not have wished to benefit.

Wills allow you a degree of financial planning to ensure that you are looking after those you need to provide for whilst at the same time taking advantage of any inheritance tax advantages available on your death.

We work closely with you to ensure that even a simple Will is not a one size fits all document but one that is bespoke to your needs and requirements following our consultation with you. Even if you have a Will already, we would always advise that there is no harm in reviewing it as life can change at a frenetic pace today and so your Will may not fit your present circumstances as well as it did before.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

While you should always consider a Will as part of your future planning, we would also advise that you think about entering into Lasting Powers of Attorney. These documents are really a form of insurance to protect you against any future loss of mental capacity you may suffer as you can appoint certain people to act on your behalf if you do so. There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney.

A Property and Financial affairs Lasting Power of Attorney allows you to decide who will deal with matters relating to your personal finance and property. Your attorney can help you on an ongoing basis if you are deemed to have lost mental capacity or, in situations where you have not such as, for example, if you are unable to act for yourself for a short period such as may be the case following a minor stroke.  

 The second type deals with matters relating to your health and welfare. It allows you to decide whether you wish to give your attorney the right to consent to or refuse life sustaining treatment on your behalf.

Life-sustaining treatment involves any medical intervention made by doctors that serves to prolong your life without always curing the underlying condition. This includes among other things artificial ventilation, nutrition, hydration and should the need arise, resuscitation. However, on a day-to-day basis it allows your attorney to make the personal decisions that you would have made for yourself such as where you live and who you see. This is why this type of Lasting Power can only be used once you are deemed to have lost mental capacity.  

In essence Lasting Powers of Attorney allow you to choose someone you love or trust to help you manage your affairs after the loss of mental capacity. You can choose more than one attorney if you wish and even choose a replacement should you worry about whether or not your chosen attorneys could act for you when the time came.

We help advise our clients throughout the process from choosing their Attorneys, what guidance to include within the documents, through to registration with the Office of the Public Guardian. We can also advise Attorneys on the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney which may have been put in place prior to 2007.

Whether you wish to consider making a Will or entering into Lasting Powers of Attorney we can guide you through the processes by using our experience derived from putting our clients first since 1885. We aim to provide a service that ensures you receive the best possible advice that is tailored to your individual requirements.