Our Services
Our Mission
At Lee Wills & Estate Planning we provide expert advice and documentation, including Wills, Trusts and Powers of Attorney. We can visit you at home, including care homes, to discuss your hopes and wishes for your family and loved ones. We also offer online consultations to fit in with busy working/family lives. We will take the time to understand what matters most to you and help guide you through the often complex options, making it simple to determine what works best for you. To learn more, book a free consultation with us, or see below for a summary of our services.
WILLS
What You Can Include in Your Will
Your Will is a powerful tool for ensuring your wishes are carried out and your loved ones are cared for. Here is what you can include:
- Executors: Appoint trusted individuals to manage and settle your estate after your death.
- Guardians: Designate who will care for your children if both parents pass away. Without this, the courts may decide their guardianship, which can be a difficult situation for your family.
- Married Couples: Do not assume your spouse will inherit everything. Under the Law of Intestacy, your children may have a claim on your estate if it is substantial. Additionally, a marriage may revoke a pre-existing Will unless it specifically states otherwise.
- Unmarried Couples: Unmarried partners do not have the same legal rights as married couples. Without a valid Will, your partner could end up with nothing.
- Complex Families: If you want to provide for a current spouse while ensuring your children inherit eventually, your Will can include Trusts. For example, you can set up a Trust that allows your spouse to live in a property for their lifetime, with the property passing to your children afterward.
- Protecting Assets for Future Generations: Use Trusts to manage assets. This can protect property for your children, provide for vulnerable or disabled beneficiaries, and give trustees the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.
- Updates to Your Old Will: We offer free Will reviews. If you have retired, had children, or experienced major life changes like divorce or widowhood, your Will may need updating.
Including these details in your Will ensures that your estate is managed according to your wishes and provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
Fees
- Simple Single Will – £200
- Simple Couple/Mirror Wills – £300
- More complex Wills – please speak to us for an accurate quote.
POWERS OF ATTORNEY
Why Powers of Attorney Matter
When planning for the future, it is important to consider not just what happens when you are gone, but also how you are cared for if you lose your mental capacity due to an accident, stroke, or dementia—conditions that affect 1 in 3 people. Without a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), your loved ones will not have automatic access to manage your finances or make decisions about your care, even if they are trying to help you.
- Health & Welfare LPAs: These allow your chosen attorney to make critical care decisions on your behalf if you become incapable of doing so. Unfortunately, many people only realise the importance of this too late. Without an LPA, Social Services might take control and make decisions that could split families or relocate loved ones to less ideal care facilities.
- Property & Financial Affairs LPAs: Without an LPA, banks can freeze your accounts if you lose capacity, even if the accounts are joint. This can create significant problems for your family, as seen in the case of Heather Bateman, who faced a bureaucratic nightmare when trying to access her husband’s funds after he was incapacitated. A registered LPA can prevent such turmoil and ensure your finances are managed smoothly.
- For Self-Employed & Business Owners: If you run a business, an LPA allows you to appoint someone to handle your business affairs if you are unable to work due to illness or an accident. This ensures that your business continues to operate or that your affairs are properly wound up, without disruption.
- Making LPAs Easy for You: Although LPAs are often associated with ageing, they are valuable at any age. Many find the paperwork overwhelming but we simplify this by helping you to complete all applications from choosing your Attorneys through to processing your forms with the Office of the Public Guardian. Once registered, LPAs are valid for life and can be updated as needed.
- Update on LPA Reforms: The Powers of Attorney Act 2023, which has received Royal Assent and will come into effect next year, will streamline the application process, potentially allowing online submissions and faster processing times. This new system aims to resolve issues and protect against fraud more effectively.
For guidance and support with setting up your LPAs, please contact us. We are here to help ensure you have the protection you need for your lifetime.
Fees
Single LPA – £200 + Government registration fees
Single Will and x2 LPAs – £550 + Government registration fees
Couples Mirror Wills and x4 LPAs – £1000 + Government registration fees
TRUSTS
Why Include a Trust in Your Will?
Incorporating a Trust into your Will can provide significant benefits and protections for your loved ones and assets. Here are some key reasons why you might consider including a Trust in your Will:
- Protecting Vulnerable Beneficiaries: If you have children, grandchildren, or other loved ones who are vulnerable due to age, disability, or other circumstances, a Trust allows you to provide for them without giving them direct control over the assets. The appointed trustees manage the assets on their behalf, ensuring they are used wisely.
- Controlling Asset Distribution: A Trust lets you specify how and when your assets are distributed. For example, you can set conditions such as your children reaching a certain age before they receive their inheritance, or you can provide ongoing support through regular distributions.
- Protecting Assets from External Risks: Trusts can safeguard assets from being lost due to unforeseen circumstances, such as bankruptcy, divorce, or creditors. By keeping assets in a Trust, they are protected from claims against the beneficiaries.
- Providing for a Surviving Spouse While Protecting Children’s Inheritance: If you are remarried or have children from a previous relationship, a Trust can ensure your spouse is cared for during their lifetime, while protecting your children’s inheritance. For instance, a property can be held in Trust for your spouse to live in, and then passed on to your children after your spouse’s death.
- Tax Efficiency: Certain types of Trusts can help minimise inheritance tax liabilities, preserving more of your estate for your beneficiaries.
- Flexibility for Changing Circumstances: Trusts offer flexibility, allowing Trustees to manage and distribute assets according to changing circumstances, such as a beneficiary’s financial needs or life events.
Including a Trust in your Will is a powerful way to ensure your assets are managed and distributed according to your specific wishes, providing both protection and peace of mind for your loved ones.
Fees
- Single Trust – £200
All Trusts include a simple Letter of Wishes giving the Trustees instructions on how to register the Trust with the Trust Registration Service (TRS). More complex Letters of Wishes are charged individually depending on the contents or a free template can be provided for the client to complete.