MAKING A WILL

Making a will is one way of being sure that your money and possessions will be dealt with as you wish after your death. In some cases, if you do not leave a will, the results can be disastrous for your family and close partners - your money may not end up where you intended. If you own a house or flats, it is particularly important to leave proper instructions.

Don't leave it too late to deal with these matters.

Although do-it-yourself forms are available, these do not give you proper advice on what to do with your "estate". We can offer you a full will making service with personal, impartial advice at modest cost. A simple will, for example, will cost £40 plus VAT or, for husband and wife "mirror wills", £60 plus VAT.

Some common questions:-

Who are the executors?

The executors other people appointed to deal with administration of the estate. They have responsibility for ensuring that the estate is dealt with in terms of the law and, where appropriate any will.

What happens if there is no will?

Legislation sets out a number of rules to decide how the estate is to be divided if someone dies in Scotland without leaving a will. This situation is referred to as intestacy. The laws are intended to be fair, but they may not suit you. For example if you are survived by a spouse and children the whole estate to be divided among them in fixed proportions. You may have wanted something different. The laws made no provision for personal partners if you are not married, even if you lived together for many years.

Can a will ensure my wishes are followed?

In Scotland there are special laws which entitle certain very close relatives (principally spouses and children) to claim legal rights -- a sum of money - if they have been left nothing in the will or are alternatively they are not satisfied with what they have been left. This does not mean that those relatives will invariably claim legal rights for that you cannot arrange matters to ensure that your wishes are followed as closely as possible. It does mean that you must take this into account when considering your wishes and how to give effect to them.