Newcastle Solicitors

WILLS  SOLICITORS NEWCASTLE & PROBATE APPLICATIONS NEWCASTLE

For understandable reasons, people do not like making wills, but making one is important and this is one area of law where, for most wills, the cost is very affordable. In addition to the more obvious issues of who inherits financially, there are other important reasons for making will, particularly where theer are children, significant wealth or particular religious beliefs.

The legal requirements for making a valid will

For a will to be valid, the following are necessary :-

• The person must be 18 or over; and
• The will has to be  voluntary without pressure or influence
• The person must be of “sound mind”, which means they know what they are doing when making it; and
• The will must be in writing; and
• Signed by the maker with 2 independent witness present ; and
• Signed by the 2 witnesses immediately after the maker has signed in his or her presence.

Circumstances in which a will should be altered

After making a will, it is all too easy to forget about it, especially as making a will is not something people generally like to consider. It is important to remember that there are life changes and circumstances where changing a will can be important, some of which are :-

• marriage
• divorce or separation
• birth or adoption of children
• significant change of financial circumstances, as regards possible inheritance tax implications and possibility of creating trusts