Two Reasons Why It’s Important to Get Help from a Lawyer When Writing a Will
Posted on: 23 March 2021
Here are two reasons why it's sensible to ensure you have a lawyer present when you're making your will.
It will ensure the will is as comprehensive as it can be
A lawyer who is well-versed in the drawing up of wills could help to ensure that yours is as comprehensive as it can possibly be. For example, they'll make sure that you include every part of your estate in it. This could be harder than you might think if you are long past middle-age and have put money into numerous bank accounts, investment funds and pension funds over the years.
For example, if you wrote the will yourself, you might forget that you left some money in the foreign bank account you used when you worked overseas several decades ago. If you forgot to include this money in your will, your family might either never discover and receive it or, if they did come across it, might have to put up with a lot of red tape before they could obtain it. A lawyer who has helped dozens of clients to make their wills is well-aware that people tend to accidentally omit certain parts of their estate and so will be sure to check that you have put everything you own in the will before they let you sign it.
The lawyer can help to ensure that your estate won't end up in the hands of someone who's not named in the will
Sometimes, despite a person not wanting a specific relative of theirs to receive any part of their estate, that relative can, through indirect means, get their hands on a large part of it. If you have a family member who you don't plan to name in your will and who you don't feel should not receive anything you own after your death, then you must get a lawyer involved in the writing up of your will, as they can help you to achieve this.
For example, if you have a sibling who you don't plan to leave anything to, but you'd like to leave some money to their child, then the lawyer might suggest that you don't simply bequeath a sum of cash to that niece or nephew, but instead set up a trust that is in their name that they can access when you pass away, as this will make it harder for their parent to take the money from the child and spend it on themselves.
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