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Wills and Probate Solicitors
Will Writing Solicitors
Tailored legal advice from expert Will writing solicitors for everyday peace of mind
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A Will can give you and your chosen beneficiaries peace of mind, ensuring that your estate is managed according to your wishes.
Our experienced Will writing solicitors are with you every step of the way with tailored advice on your personal situation. To protect the people and things you care about, we have the expertise to support you.
Why choose our Will Writing Solicitors?
With our no obligation online tool, the process of creating your Will is easy – you can start your Will online at a time that suits you and our experienced solicitors will follow up on your enquiry and provide advice tailored to your circumstances.
Our team will ensure the process of making your Will is smooth and we aim to send you draft documents within two weeks of your initial meeting.
Experts in complex Wills
Whatever your situation, our Will writing solicitors within the Private Client team at Brachers can ensure that your wishes are communicated clearly and conditions relating to certain assets are accounted for.
We have specialisms in creating Wills that have certain complexities such as for those with private wealth including multiple dwellings and business interests, succession planning for farming families, minimising tax liabilities for you and your family with our tax planning advice and Wills and tax planning for those with property or assets overseas.
We can help protect the people and the things you care about. A Will is an investment in your family’s future.
Appoint a professional executor
When somebody passes away, their estate needs to be administered so that their assets can be sold and liabilities paid off. For those with a valid Will, the executor will be the person dealing with this estate administration process.
Brachers’ Trust Corporation is a company set up by the firm to act as a professional executor, trustee, deputy in the Court of Protection and attorney on relevant matters. The company can act if you are unsure on who to appoint as your executor, if you are concerned about a potential dispute amongst relatives, or if you do not want to burden your family with dealing with your estate. Brachers Trust Corporation is independent and can ensure that your wishes and instructions are followed precisely.
With offices in both Maidstone and Canterbury, our team are ready to help with any legal advice you may require.
Recognition of our expertise
Brachers private client solicitors are consistently recognised in the top guides to law firms. The team is ranked in the top tier for Personal, Tax, Trusts and Probate in The Legal 500 2024 and in Band 2 for Private Wealth in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide.
Brachers’ Head of Private Client, Christopher Eriksson-Lee, is the only lawyer in the region with a top tier lawyer ranking for Private Wealth Law in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2023. Christopher also specialises in advising agricultural clients and those with landed estates on succession planning, the preparation of wills, estate and tax planning, trust creation, powers of attorney and the administration of trusts and estates.
Our teams are regularly recognised in numerous prestigious industry awards. Brachers’ private client team triumphed at the 5th annual UK Probate Research Awards 2023, winning Best Private Deputyship Firm. The team were also awarded ‘Best Estate Planning Team’ at The Probate Industry Awards 2024 and were highly commended for ‘Best Probate Law Firm – Regional’.
Find out more about our awards, accreditations and partnerships that make us stand out from the rest.
Pricing
For more information on our prices please take a look at our Wills and Estate Planning Charging Structure.
How to contact our Will writing solicitors
Our Will solicitors are based in Maidstone and Canterbury and are ready to help with any legal advice you may require so please get in touch today.
Start your Will online today using our no obligation online tool or if you need guidance about your options, speak to one of our friendly team. You can call us on 01622 690691 or fill out or online contact form.
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What is a Will?
A Will is essentially a set of instructions explaining how you would like what you own (your estate) to be distributed to your chosen beneficiaries after you die.
A Will allows you to name people called executors to deal with the administration of your estate and give effect to your wishes. For example, your executors are tasked with calling in your assets, paying your debts and distributing the balance to your chosen beneficiaries.
Why do I need a Will?
The main reason you should make a Will is to ensure that, in the event of your death, your estate passes to your chosen beneficiaries in accordance with your wishes rather than leaving it to chance.
You may have a favourite charity which you would like to benefit, or specific items that you know someone would make good use of. You can also appoint guardians in a Will to look after young children.
Whatever your circumstances, your Will is tailored to suit you and should give you peace of mind, knowing that your wishes will take effect. Find out more about why you need a will and how we can help you.
What happens if I don't have a Will?
If you do not make a Will then your estate will be distributed in accordance with the rules of intestacy which prescribe a statutory order of priority as to who gets what. While these do provide for family members, this may not be how you wish your estate to be distributed and may not ensure that what you have goes to those who need it most.
What does a Will look like?
Generally speaking, most Wills start with a clause revoking all previous Wills and codicils. Any funeral wishes are listed and executors and/or guardians are appointed. Next, any specific gifts of money or personal possessions are dealt with.
Finally, everything remaining in your estate after the payment of debts, funeral and testamentary expenses (the residue) is distributed to your chosen beneficiaries. This can be left outright to beneficiaries, contingent on a specific event occurring or held on different types of trusts. The manner in which you choose to distribute your estate very much depends on your circumstances.
What is a mirror Will?
Married couples tend to make Wills that mirror one another. These often leave everything to each other and then make provision for what happens on the second death.
Married couples often leave everything outright to each other, or leave certain assets on life interest trust. The latter is useful for second marriages, as it gives your spouse the right to benefit from the income of your estate while they are still alive but ensures that the share of the first to die passes to specified beneficiaries, such as children from previous relationships, on the second death.
How often should I update my Will?
If you already have a Will, it is important to keep this under review in case your circumstances change. For example, if you inherit money or if one of your chosen beneficiaries goes through a divorce.
Your Will can also be amended to help you tax plan or include provision to protect your assets. Your relationships with executors/trustees can change, as can the circumstances and needs of your beneficiaries; therefore it is important to ensure that when you die, those managing your estate and receiving gifts are in line with your current wishes.
What is required to make a Will?
To make a Will, you must be at least 18 and must be mentally capable of making a Will.
A Will has to be in writing and must be executed in the proper manner in order to be valid. This means you must sign in the presence of two witnesses, who must then countersign in your presence.
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Get in touch
Please fill out the below form or alternatively you can call us on 01622 690691
Contact form
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Expertise
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The Legal 500 2024The team are great and responsive on all aspects of the work we do together. They provide advice regarding a family trust and the wider estate planning for the client.
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The Legal 500 2024Brachers has the personal touch, listening carefully to clients’ needs in a friendly, sensitive and helpful manner. It has a wealth of experience, gathered over many decades, and is highly regarded by its local clients in Kent. Such loyalty from locals is reassuring.
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The Legal 500Brachers know their subject, are very competent and, above all, very diplomatic. These attributes have been so important during the present lock down when the ‘working from home’ handicap could have spoiled progress – but it didn’t.
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Client quoteA firm with longevity, trust and a personal touch.
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Client quoteBrachers are very community-minded and are always approachable and easy to communicate with.
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Client quoteI would very much like to thank you personally and the rest of your team at Brachers [including Paula Savage and her team] for the way in which you have helped me through this difficult time in a very considerate, helpful and of course professional manner. It does make a big difference when dealing with such a very personal situation to have a compassionate team behind you, that you can trust implicitly.
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M Eley, ClientA legal practice that’s truly on top of its game