Will Writing Solicitors

Making a Will is one of the most straightforward things you can do for the people you love and one of the easiest to keep putting off.

It doesn’t need to be difficult or uncomfortable. Our Will writing solicitors will talk you through your options, ask the questions you may not have thought to ask yourself, and prepare a Will that says exactly what you want it to say. Most clients are surprised how quickly it’s done and how much better they feel afterwards.

TV Edwards is a long-established, Legal 500 recognised London firm. We offer transparent pricing and no hidden fees, and a range of Wills to suit different circumstances — from the very simple to estates involving businesses, trusts or assets overseas.

My Solicitor was extremely helpful, very knowledgeable & very, very thorough. I thought making a Will was easy, she explained that it was so much more and there were various things to take into account which I had not even thought of.

Let’s get it sorted

You don’t need to have decided anything in advance. Most people come to us with a rough idea and a few questions, and we work it through together.

Call us on 020 3440 8000 or contact us online for a fixed fee quotation. We’ll tell you what your Will is likely to involve and what it will cost before you commit to anything.

Why Make a Will?

A Will lets you decide what happens to everything you own after you die, rather than leaving it to a set of rules that may bear little resemblance to your wishes.

It also lets you make choices that nothing else can make for you: who takes responsibility for your funeral arrangements, who administers your estate, and who would look after your children if they’re still young.

There’s a practical benefit too. A clear, properly drafted Will makes life significantly easier for the people left behind, at a point when they’ll be grateful for anything that reduces the burden. And with effective planning, a Will can help ensure your loved ones are provided for in a tax-efficient way.

What Happens If You Don’t Make a Will?

If you die without a valid Will, your estate is divided according to the rules of intestacy. These rules are rigid, they take no account of your relationships or intentions, and they frequently surprise people.

A few things worth knowing:

• A spouse or civil partner doesn’t automatically inherit everything. Where there are children, the estate is divided between them according to a fixed formula.
• Stepchildren you haven’t legally adopted have no entitlement, regardless of how you thought of them.
• Nothing goes to friends, charities or anyone outside the defined family order — no matter how much you’d have wanted it to.

Intestacy also removes your say over who administers your estate, and can produce outcomes that are less tax-efficient than they needed to be. If you’d like to see how your own estate would be divided, it’s one of the first things we’ll talk through with you.

What Can You Include in Your Will?

A Will can be tailored precisely to your circumstances. Commonly, it will:

• appoint executors to administer your estate;
• appoint guardians for children under 18;
• leave specific gifts — a particular item, a sum of money, a property;
• include legacies to a charity, a friend or anyone else who wouldn’t otherwise inherit;
• set out who receives the remainder of your estate once gifts, debts and expenses are dealt with;
• name substitute beneficiaries in case someone dies before you;
• record your funeral wishes;
• establish a trust, where you want assets held and managed rather than paid out immediately.

You may also want to leave a letter of wishes alongside your Will — a separate, informal document explaining the reasoning behind your decisions. It isn’t legally binding, but it can be enormously helpful to your family, and can head off misunderstandings before they take root.

Who Should You Appoint?

Executors

Your executors are the people responsible for administering your estate — collecting in your assets, settling debts and tax, and distributing what remains according to your Will.

Choose people who are organised, willing and likely to outlive you. Most people appoint two. It’s perfectly acceptable for executors to be beneficiaries as well, and in practice they usually are.

If you’d rather not place that responsibility on family — or you expect the estate to be complicated — we can act as your executors, and many clients ask us to.

Guardians

If you have children under 18, your Will is where you appoint the people you’d want to bring them up. Without a Will, that decision could ultimately be made by a court rather than by you.

Trustees

If your Will includes a trust — for example, where children inherit at a specified age — you’ll need trustees to manage those assets in the meantime. Trustees can be the same people as your executors.

Types of Will We Prepare

We offer a range of Wills to suit different circumstances, rather than a single template.

Single Wills

A Will for one person, covering their own estate and wishes. This suits most people with straightforward affairs.

Mirror Wills

Two near-identical Wills, usually made by a couple, leaving everything to each other and then on to the same beneficiaries. They’re a common and cost-effective choice for couples with shared intentions, and are usually quoted together.

Wills Containing Trusts

Where you want assets held and managed rather than handed over outright — for children, a vulnerable relative, or to protect provision for a second family. Our trust solicitors can advise on whether a trust is appropriate and how it should be structured.

We’ll recommend the right option once we understand your circumstances. If a straightforward Will does everything you need, we’ll tell you so.

Fixed Fee Will Writing

We provide fixed fee Wills with transparent pricing and no hidden fees. You’ll receive a written quotation before any work starts, and the figure we quote is the figure you pay.

What you’ll pay depends on what your Will needs to do. A single Will with straightforward wishes costs less than one involving trusts, business interests or overseas property. Couples making mirror Wills are quoted at a combined rate rather than twice over.

For current fee levels, please see our pricing page or call the team — we’re happy to give you a figure over the phone before you come in.

How Making a Will With Us Works

Our Will writing service is designed to be easy to use and to fit around you.

In broad terms:

1. We talk. You tell us about your circumstances, your family and what you’d like to happen. We ask about the things people often overlook — pensions, jointly owned property, digital assets, gifts already made.
2. We advise. We’ll flag anything that might not work as you expect, and suggest options you may not have considered.
3. We draft. You receive a draft Will to read at your own pace, with an explanation in plain English of what each part does.
4. You review. We make any changes you’d like until you’re satisfied it says exactly what you want.
5. You sign. We make sure your Will is signed and witnessed correctly, so its validity can’t be questioned later.

Making Sure Your Will Is Valid

A Will only works if it’s been made properly, and the formalities catch people out more often than you’d think.

Your Will must be in writing and signed by you, in the presence of two witnesses who are both there at the same time and who then sign it themselves. Crucially, a witness — or a witness’s husband, wife or civil partner — cannot inherit under the Will. A gift to them fails, even though the Will itself remains valid. Well-meaning families lose inheritances to this every year.

Beyond the formalities, clear and unambiguous drafting matters. A Will that’s open to more than one reading is a Will that can be argued over. Professional drafting substantially reduces the risk of a challenge after your death and if you’re worried about a dispute arising, our contested probate solicitors can advise on strengthening your position.

Storing Your Will and Keeping It Up to Date

A Will your family can’t find is of no use to anyone. We can store your Will for you, so it’s safe and can be produced when it’s needed. Tell your executors where it is, or that we hold it.

Your Will should also keep pace with your life. We’d suggest reviewing it every five to seven years, and always after a significant change — marriage, divorce, a new child or grandchild, a house move, a death in the family, or a substantial change in your finances.

Two points worth knowing. Marriage or civil partnership revokes an existing Will in England and Wales, unless it was made specifically in anticipation of that marriage — so a Will made before a wedding will usually need replacing. And while divorce doesn’t revoke a Will, it does mean your former spouse is treated as having died before you, which can leave gaps if no substitute was named.

When your Will needs to change, our team can help with revising your Will, whether that’s a formal alteration or a new Will altogether.

If You Own Property Abroad

Owning property or assets in another country adds a layer of complexity, because that country’s succession laws may apply regardless of what your English Will says — and some jurisdictions dictate who must inherit.

There isn’t a single right answer. Sometimes one Will covering worldwide assets is best; sometimes a separate Will in each jurisdiction works better, provided they’re drafted so neither accidentally revokes the other.

We regularly deal with complex and high-value estates involving international assets, and we understand the particular challenges they present. If this applies to you, mention it early on and we’ll advise on the right approach.

Related Private Client Services

How Our Will Writing Solicitors Can Help

When you instruct us, we will:

• Take the time to understand your situation — your family, your assets and what you actually want to happen.
• Raise the things you haven’t thought of. Most clients tell us this is the most valuable part of the process.
• Give you a fixed fee quotation in writing before we start, with no hidden fees.
• Draft your Will clearly and precisely, so it does what you intend and is difficult to argue with.
• Explain it in plain English, so you understand every part of the document you’re signing.
• Make sure it’s executed correctly, with the signing and witnessing done properly.
• Store it safely and be here when it needs updating.
• Work the way that suits you — online, by post, by phone or face-to-face.

Why Choose TV Edwards?

• A regulated firm of solicitors. We’re authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with the professional standards and accountability that brings — not everyone offering Will writing is.
• Transparent pricing. Quoted in writing, with no hidden extras.
• A dedicated Private Client team. Led by our Head of Private Client, with expertise across Wills, probate, trusts, estate planning and tax.
• Experience beyond the straightforward. Complex and high-value estates, business interests and international assets are familiar territory.
• Legal 500 recognised. Part of a long-established London firm independently recognised for acting in clients’ best interests.
• Storage and executor services. We can hold your Will and act as executors if you’d prefer not to burden family.
• A relationship that lasts. Many clients return to us for their LPAs, their estate planning and their family’s affairs for years afterwards.

Contact Our Solicitors Today

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