Families facing costly battles due to neglect of Wills

More than half of the UK’s adult population don’t have a Will, which could cause chaos for their families if they don’t address this.

What’s more is that hundreds of thousands of Wills may have been written incorrectly or are out of date.

According to data from Which Magazine, 54% of people are without Wills.

Also, low cost Wills purchased on the internet could leave many more families under threat, as many are unfit for purpose potentially causing legal battles and bureaucratic headaches for many family members and other loved ones.

It is frustrating for established law firms like ourselves at Dale & Newbery that large sections of the public are potentially under threat due to some unregulated Will writing practices operating online and elsewhere.

For many years, solicitors have bemoaned the fact that the Legal Services Board who carried out an extensive investigation in 2013 concluding that Will writing has to be treated as a specialist skill open only to solicitors has still not been taken up by the Lord Chancellor who went against this advice.

That is why it is the duty of law professionals to keep this subject in the spotlight as it is a huge issue for so many people.

We cannot underplay the fact that Will writing can often be technically challenging, yet even now in 2020 anyone can claim to be a qualified Will writer as there is no real qualification process and possibly no insurance if things go wrong.

Many online Will writing services follow a simple template that fails to address the complexities of modern family set ups and other issues, yet these mistakes will not be discovered until a time when families are vulnerable and grieving and by that time, it’s often too late.

If you have any concerns about Will writing in Staines or surrounding areas, then please talk to us at Dale & Newbery who are legally qualified experts in Wills, and can advise you on these and related matters.  We would also suggest that Wills are revisited periodically to ensure they reflect your current wishes.

Failure to make a Will, make one properly or keep a Will up to date remains an ongoing issue.

We hope many of those who read this will make the time to act on this information as it will potentially save many thousands of pounds and a great deal of stress.

It is also worth adding, as we all adjust to the current pandemic and its changing effects on our day to day living that we will continue to ensure all our practices around Will writing are carried out in a safe way.

If you wish to know more about Wills and Probate in Staines, then please contact our experienced team today. We are here to help you.