Wills, Trusts and Probate

We will write your Will for £100*

Almost 70% of people put off making a Will. There are many reasons for doing so, mainly because a Will is not considered by most people to be a priority with so many other demands on our time and finances. Those who have made a Will may now find that it is invalid due to changes in their circumstances such as re-marriage or further children.

STOP! - Making a Will may be the biggest investment that you will ever make. By taking a small amount of time to consider what you would like to happen with your assets in the event of your death will ensure that your wishes are heard.

Failure to make a Will can result in massive financial tax losses and disputes between loved ones with the State intervening and making important decisions regarding your affairs. Most people believe that where no Will is made the entire estate is inherited by the deceased's spouse, which is not necessarily the case. Although the law does make provision for spouses and other relatives, it is unlikely that your estate would be distributed exactly as you would have wanted.

From just £100 for an individual and £150 for a couple we are able to write your Will and give practical advice and guidance on tax planning to avoid those unnecessary tax liabilities.

Can you afford to put off making your Will??

We have been drafting Wills and dealing with the administration of estates since first established and have a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area. Our range of services include-:

  • Wills
  • Administration of estates
  • Contentious probate
  • Tax planning to minimise Inheritance Tax liability and other estate duties
  • Intestacy
  • Trusts
  • Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for families) Act 1975
Even if you have already made a Will it is sensible to have it reviewed if it is more than three years old as your circumstances may have changed. For example, a lot of people are unaware that marriage usually revokes an existing Will. Our specialist teams will give you friendly, helpful and easy to understand advice.



*applies to standard Will for one individual

Inheritance Tax changes

In his pre-Budget report on 9th October 2007, the Chancellor made a number of important tax announcements including crucial changes to the Inheritance Tax rules affecting married couples and civil partners. In summary this means that:

  • If a married person or civil partner does not use the whole
    of his/her £312,000 tax free allowance on death the unused
    amount can be transferred to the surviving spouse or civil partner.
    Therefore if a husband leaves all his estate to his wife on her
    death the wife’s tax free allowance will be £600,000 which is
    double the current limit for a single person.

  • The above rule will also apply to existing widows, widowers
    and bereaved civil partners.

The changes to the rules may mean that the details of your existing Will are incorrect or inappropriate. For instance, it would no longer be necessary for a spouse to set up a Discretionary Nil-rate band trust in a Will if the reason for doing so was to save tax. Furthermore, if the surviving spouse or civil partner has made certain tax planning arrangements it may make sense for those arrangements to be reviewed as they might now be wholly unnecessary.

If you would like more information or advice on either of the above changes or think that you might be affected in any way, please contact either Don Middlemost at our Budleigh office (01395 445581) or Martin Justice at our Crediton office (01363 775566) for a free initial telephone consultation.