Bedford's Leading Will Writing Service

A Will shows which beneficiaries you wish to benefit from your estate, it will also state who you have appointed to deal with the administration of your estate (your Executors) and ensures that your Executors have all the necessary powers they need to deal with the administration of your estate. A Will can also show your funeral wishes and who you have appointed as guardians of your minor children.

You can make a Will if you are 18 or over and of sound mind, memory and understanding. You are free to deal with your estate as you wish.
 
Our Specialist Wills Team at Premier Solicitors have the right qualifications, technical experience and expertise to prepare your fixed fee Will for you in an efficient and low cost manner. We provide a quick, friendly, professional and jargon free service which is accessible to all. We are able to offer a fixed fee will writing service nationwide - just call Premier Solicitors on 01234 358080 and we can let you talk to one of our Solicitors. Yes, you can make your own Will without the assistance of a Solicitor, however even a small mistake could invalidate your Will. Why take that chance? Have the right professionals prepare your Will to ensure that the legal formalities are complied with, and that your Will is prepared in accordance with your wishes. We are also regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and members of the Law Society, so give yourself peace of mind.

You should make a Will to clearly state how you wish your estate is to be dealt with on your death. Making a Will does not attract the inevitable; it merely ensures that you have your affairs in order and avoids loved ones having to face unnecessary legal and financial difficulties at a very difficult time.
 
A Will is not just for the elderly. It is also important for anyone who has children as you can then deal with who is to act as guardian of your minor children, should you die whilst they are below the age of 18.
 
Nobody likes to pay inheritance tax, so if you wish to have specialist advice about how you can save inheritance tax then we have the expertise in-house together with a range of products and services to suit your risk profile.
 
Selling your family home to pay for care home fees is a big worry for many clients and, so, if you wish to have specialist advice about how you can save inheritance tax then we have the expertise in-house.

Your Executors will be the persons you wish to deal with the administration of your estate after your death. Your beneficiaries can also be your Executors. It is your Executors' responsibility to:

• determine what property and other assets you own at the date of death, as well as your liabilities.
• arrange for current valuations of your personal possessions, property, investments any pension or insurance entitlements due including any debts and bills
• arrange your funeral and arrange for the payment
• establishing Income and Inheritance Taxes liabilities and completing the necessary tax returns for the Revenue
• completing and submitting the necessary Probate forms
• arrange the clearance and sale of any property (should this be required)
• collecting assets and paying any debts
• arrange for the payment of legacies and gifts to your beneficiaries
• compiling detailed accounts to give to the main beneficiaries, before distribution of the estate
• in the case of children being beneficiaries, then the Trustees shall hold the monies on trust until required then distribute.

Choose your Executor(s) carefully
This can determine how quickly and efficiently the administration of your estate is progressed.
 
Where you have more complex family or financial circumstances, then it would be advisable to appoint a professional Executor to assist with the administration of the estate. Examples of such circumstances include where you have children from previous marriages, potential contentious issues (i.e. where you intend to exclude family members from your Wills) if you have a business, numerous investment properties, and/or overseas assets.

We do not charge to simply being named as Executors in your Will. However, when our appointment as Executor takes effect we give beneficiaries various options as to the charging structure. We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, so our fee structure is at the lower end of the Law Society guidelines and we are more competitive than any other Firm (whether they be Solicitors, Will Writing & Probate Companies or High Street Banks) doing Probate work. In fact our rates are so competitive that we do work for many other Solicitors, Will Writing & Probate Companies or High Street Banks, for a number of reasons to include: they may not deal with Probate work (for example Commercial only firms of Solicitors or Will Writing only companies); they may not have the expertise to deal with the more complicated cases; they may not be able to cope with large volumes of work; or we may simply be cheaper than their advertised cost!
 
For more routine estates we find that relatives are after appointed as Executors jointly with a professional Executor, such as Premier Solicitors.
 
We can assist you with whichever option you would prefer, and our expert team at Premier Solicitors would sensitively assist you in fulfilling this role.
 
The costs and expenses incurred by Executors, including professional fees can be recouped directly from the estate so there is no initial expense incurred by you.

Our Chartered Tax Advisor may have the right solution for your situation through creating a Trust, and if you wish to have specialist advice about this then please do contact us.

Many people are deterred from making a Will because they do not want to think of their children without them. A Will can reflect a parent's wishes and clearly state who will care for a child/children in the event of the death of both parents or guardians. Why leave this decision to chance?
 
For your information, if a mother is not married to the child's father, or the father's name is not on the child's birth certificate, then the mother would need to appoint the father as the first chosen guardian. If this was not done then according to the current law, the father would not have any automatic rights as guardian, if the mother died first.

You can amend or revoke your Will at any time before your death and there are some circumstances where a Will is automatically amended or revoked. Upon divorce or dissolution of a registered civil partnership, a Will is altered insofar as any gift to a former spouse or registered civil partner is rendered invalid. Upon marriage or registration of a civil partnership (unless made in contemplation of the event), a Will is revoked. When a new Will is written the old Will should be destroyed to avoid any confusion at a later date.
 
Our specialists at Premier Solicitors recommend that you review your Will every five years or after any major life event such as birth, death, marriage, registered civil partnership, divorce, separation, dissolution of a registered civil partnership or moving house. Premier Solicitors recommend that Wills are reviewed in order to incorporate the changes. This aspect is often overlooked by many especially after the rapid growth of house prices over recent years.

In particular, tax efficient Wills written prior to October 2007 may no longer be appropriate as a result, we can cost-effectively advise you whether they should remain in place or whether you should update your Will to have basic Wills in place to take advantage of the transferability of the nil rate band since October 2007.
 
Whatever changes or advice you require our Specialist Team have the right solutions for you in order to maximise tax savings.
 
You can make minor alterations to your Will without having to rewrite a new Will by using a document called a codicil. A codicil confirms a previous Will, but allows you to make a few changes. If a some changes are required a codicil is an alternative to re-writing the entire Will.

Premier Solicitors are often approached by people who are unhappy about the way a deceased relative's estate is to be distributed by their Will or under the intestacy rules. Read more about challenging wills

If you have not or do not make a valid Will before your death, then the intestacy rules will apply. The law does not provide well for modern family situations and the Intestacy Rules are complicated, but generally your surviving spouse or registered civil partner will benefit in precedence to anyone else. However, they may not receive all of your estate, depending on whether or not you have children. If you do not leave a surviving spouse, registered civil partner or children then the intestacy rules set out who will benefit from your estate (depending on which of your relatives have survived you). This would not include your partner if you are not married or in a registered civil partnership. You may also end up having unnecessary and horrendously complicated statutory trusts of intestacy, which will add to the legal costs of administering your estate. If you have not made a valid Will then the law also sets out who is allowed to administer your estate. If potential beneficiaries cannot be found then your estate will go to the Crown!