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Wills & Probate

Expert Will Writing Solicitors

Nicola Waldman
Partner
Sarah Charnley
Partner
Sarah Conner
Partner
Chantae Francis
Chantae Francis
Solicitor
Mohan Dhadli
Mohan Dhadli
Solicitor
Nicholas McKeown
Paralegal
Philippa Barton
Philippa Barton
Consultant
Ralph Johnson
Ralph Johnson
Paralegal

Making a will guarantees peace of mind for the future, knowing your wishes will be adhered to.

Our experienced Wills & Probate solicitors will take the time to understand your individual circumstances and draft a bespoke will that meets the needs of you and your loved ones.

Why make a will?

A will is a legally binding document that sets out your wishes for when you pass away. A will typically covers how your assets can be protected and delivered to your loved ones after you die. 

If you die without a valid will, there’s no guarantee your assets will pass on to your loved ones as you intended. This is often the case when a will is poorly drafted or is out of date, failing to consider your current circumstances. This can cause a great deal of stress, upset and financial difficulty for those left behind.

However, a will isn’t just about naming who should inherit certain assets. In a will you can also decide who will be in charge of distributing your assets and who should become the guardian of your children (if they’re aged under 18). You may also make clear your preferences about your funeral arrangements.

We understand how important it is to safeguard assets that you or your family may rely on in the future. Our highly experienced and understanding solicitors will take the time to listen to your needs and then tailor a will that’s suited specifically to your personal circumstances.

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Why make a will?

STEP Will Writing Code of Practice

You can rely on our expert lawyers to provide a will that meets all your needs. Our specialist solicitors are experts on wills, inheritance tax and setting-up trusts, if appropriate to your circumstances. 

As well as being regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman, many of our lawyers belong to the highly respected Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). We adhere to the STEP Will Writing Code of Practice when preparing all wills, ensuring you receive only the very best level of service.  

The level of service and consumer protection that we’re proud to offer goes far above and beyond the quality offered by many other non-solicitor will writing firms.  

STEP - Will Writting Code_transparent

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Why choose Hodge Jones & Allen?

Experienced Solicitors

Our solicitors will ensure you have the best legal expertise to help you find the best possible resolution during a stressful and often sensitive time. All of our solicitors are highly trained in Wills & Probate law, offering a high calibre, yet personal and cost-effective service.

Accredited Specialists

We follow the STEP Will Writing Code of Practice and are also accredited by the Solicitors for the Elderly.

"WE FOUND HODGE JONES & ALLEN TO BE THOUGHTFUL AND ATTENTIVE IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING OUR WILLS... VERY MUCH APPRECIATED."

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How we can help drafting your will

Arrange a meeting

We are available when you need us to meet and discuss your personal needs and particular situation in greater detail.

Whatever your needs, our team of highly experienced Wills & Probate lawyers will provide you with the help and advice you need. Call us on
0808 271 9413
or request a call back.
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The London Legal Podcast

Making a Will

Nicola Waldman  Head of our Wills & Probate team discusses the importance of making or updating your will, especially when purchasing a property. Listen in to hear Nicola discusses the inheritance tax implications you need to be aware of, whether DIY will kits are sufficient and how to choose the right solicitor for you and your family’s needs.

 

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Frequently asked questions

Why should I ask a solicitor to help me make a will?

There are many ‘will writing’ products on the market and in theory you can make your own will. However, the rules for making a will are complicated using a specialist solicitor often saves time, money and stress in the long run. A solicitor can ensure that:

  • Your will is completed correctly and is a valid legal document.
  • You distribute all your assets, avoiding a possible claim from the Crown against your estate.
  • You make clear your wishes in the event that one of your named beneficiaries dies before you do.
  • You receive advice on how to avoid paying unnecessary inheritance tax.

Badly drafted wills can result in damaging probate disputes each year; expensive court battles are the last thing you want to leave your loved ones at an already difficult time.

How do I go about making a will?

The procedure to make a new will with us:

  • Let us know that you’d like to make/update your will. One of our advisors will ask you for some basic information, including your contact details, which they’ll pass on to our specialist Wills & Probate solicitors. 
  • A member of the team will contact you to answer any immediate questions that you have and to arrange a meeting so that we can get to know you and your individual circumstances. We’ll try to give you an estimate of the cost at this stage, although this will depend on the assets that you have and the complexity of the will that you need. We’ll make things as convenient as possible for you, so our team undertake home or hospital visits where possible, although this may affect the cost.
  • Prior to our meeting, we’ll send you our will questionnaire and ask you to fill it in and either return it to us or to bring it with you to the meeting.
  • At our meeting, we’ll go through the questionnaire, discuss all the relevant details with you and make sure that we have your instructions for the will. (If someone has brought you to the meeting, we may have to ask them to leave the room while we discuss these issues with you in private). At the end of the meeting, we’ll be able to provide a more accurate estimate of costs. 
  • We’ll then send you an engagement letter along with the firm’s terms of business. The engagement letter will set out the work we are doing for you and the anticipated cost. We’ll ask you to sign this and send it back to us. We are required to have the signed engagement letter before we can start preparing your will.
  • We will then prepare a draft will, with a letter of explanation of the terms of the will for you to approve, along with an explanation of any other matters relating to the will that were discussed at our meeting. If requested, we may also prepare a letter of wishes for your executors, to be read with the will.
  • Subject to any further questions you have or changes you want made to the will, we will prepare a final version for you to sign.
  • If possible, we prefer you to come into the office to sign the will, so that we can supervise this and make sure that it’s valid. Otherwise, we can send it to you and explain how it needs to be signed and witnessed.
  • We offer a free storage facility for your will when it has been signed and will be happy to send you a copy.
  • If you’d like us to, we can register the will with Certainty for a small additional fee. They keep a record of your name and address, the date of your will and where it is. At a later date, this can be helpful for family or friends if they don’t know where your last will is.

The process is usually quite quick, often taking no more than a few weeks. Our specialist solicitors will make it as quick and easy as possible for you.

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“I AM VERY HAPPY WITH HODGE JONES & ALLEN, WE HAVE BEEN WITH THEM FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THE SERVICE IS OUTSTANDING AND THE STAFF MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND PROFESSIONAL. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.”

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