Wills

It has been estimated that seven out of 10 people have not yet made a Will. Is it something you have yet to get round to?

If you have not made a Will, everything you leave will be divided according to the fixed rules of intestacy. For example:

• Without Wills, a husband or wife may only receive part of an estate if there are children. This can lead to the forced sale of a family home causing much distress.
• If you live with a partner, unmarried, the survivor on death receives nothing at all if no Will has been made unless they have been living together for some years prior to the death and are eligible to make a claim to court.

Warners' lawyers use their specialist expertise in preparing a Will, with knowledge not only of the law of Wills, but also the laws of property, trusts and tax, all of which may have a direct bearing on how your Will should be drawn.

If you draw up your own Will the main danger is that you may unwittingly use language that will misinterpret your intentions. This can cause more problems than no Will at all. If a bank prepares your Will it often insists on also acting as an executor. Its fees for so doing are usually much higher than those of a solicitor.