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Writing Your Will

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Home > Wills, Trusts and Probate > Writing Your Will
Wills, Trusts and Probate

Writing Your Will

Writing your Will, it’s something that may seem challenging, and people often put off thinking about it. However, it is one of the most important steps to ensure your loved ones’ future is protected and can be empowering.

Why do I need to write a Will?

Writing your Will is one of the most important things you can do to safeguard your loved ones should the worst happen. If you’re a parent, it is essential to appoint guardians for your children and ensure they have everything in place for their future.

Having a Will is the cornerstone of estate planning. By doing so you can protect an unmarried partner, make sure loved ones receive gifts you would like them to have, preserve your estate despite nursing home fees, and even plan for the send-off that you want.

Without a Will, your estate may not go to who you want it to and your beneficiaries may pay unnecessary inheritance tax.

At Vincents, we pride ourselves on our friendly, welcoming, and relaxed approach to this matter. It’s more like coming in for a cup of tea and a chat.

We welcome the opportunity to discuss all your concerns and requirements with you. It’s your Will and we really do ensure that it reflects your wishes. We can also reassure you about inheritance tax: when it is payable and the ways it can be mitigated.

We can meet you at any of our branches or our head office, with a member of our friendly and knowledgeable team. To make life easier, we’re also happy to meet you at home if you prefer.

Writing a Will gives you complete peace of mind. You can get in touch with one of our Wills and Estate Planning team by calling us, or you can make an initial enquiry regarding writing a Will by completing our online enquiry form at the bottom of this page, and we will contact you.

What are the main benefits of writing a Will?

  • You will not die intestate, meaning that your assets won’t pass to someone you don’t want them to.
  • By preparing a Will, you can set out to whom you wish to pass your assets to upon your death.
  • It allows you to appoint whoever you wish to administer and distribute your estate.
  • You can appoint guardian/s to look after and care for your children, ensuring certainty for them if you aren’t around.
  • We can advise you about any potential Inheritance Tax liability upon your death.
  • You can ensure that certain family members will not inherit any of your estate when you die.
  • You can provide charitable legacies, gifts of money, or cherished items for family and friends.
  • You can direct your Executors regarding your funeral arrangements.

Continued below…

Meet our team of experts

Wills, Probate and Trusts

Lisa Lodge

Call today 01772 34 89 09 Email lisalodge@vslaw.co.uk

Lisa Lodge is Director of Private Client Services at Vincents Solicitors and she also runs our Garstang office. Lisa is a member of Vincents Management Board.

With over 20 years of experience, Lisa deals with Estate planning and Wills.

Read Lisa’s full biography here.

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Sean Aldridge

Call today 01772 555 176 Email seanaldridge@vslaw.co.uk

Sean is a Senior Associate in our Private Client team, specialising in Wills, Estate Planning, Estate Administration, and Elderly Client Services.

Read Seans full Biography here

Wills, Probate and Trusts

David Hinchliffe

Call today 01253 77 33 77 Email davidhinchliffe@vslaw.co.uk

David is a Senior Solicitor at Vincents Lytham office. David has 37 years of experience helping his clients with their Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Trusts and Probate. Additionally, he also provides his clients with residential property services.

Read David’s full biography here.

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Patricia Prescott

Call today 01772 34 89 22 Email patriciaprescott@vslaw.co.uk

Patricia joined Vincents Solicitors in 2022 as a Senior Solicitor in the Trusts & Estates department. She is based in Lytham and deals with all aspects of private client matters including Wills, Probate, Inheritance Tax, Estate Planning, Trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Court of Protection and Elderly Client Issues.

Read Patricia’s full bio here.

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Chris Mathews

Call today 01772 34 89 17 Email chrismathews@vslaw.co.uk

An established Probate Practitioner based at Mary E Lowe at Vincents Solicitors in Lytham, Chris has worked in the Preston and Fylde area as a Solicitor since 1980. Throughout this time, he has assisted many clients with the preparation of Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Estate Administration.

Read Chris’ full biog here.

 

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Sarah McCarthy.

Call today 01253 773377 Email sarahmccarthy@vslaw.co.uk

Sarah is a Senior Solicitor and specialises in Family and Divorce as well as Wills, Trusts and Probate, enabling her to offer comprehensive advice to her clients. She is based at Vincents Lytham Park Street office. Read more

Court of Protection

Nicola Hayes

Call today 01772 555 176 Email nicolahayes@vslaw.co.uk
Wills, Trusts and Probate

Deeana Coker

Call today 01772 555 176 Email deeanacoker@vslaw.co.uk

Deeana joined Vincents as a Conveyancing Assistant in the Commercial Property department. With over five years of legal experience working in both Commercial and Residential property, she deals with a range of complex property transactions from instruction to completion.

Read Deeana’s bio here

Childcare

Beth Laws

Call today 01772 348947 Email bethlaws@vslaw.co.uk

Beth Laws is a Paralegal within the Family team at Vincents.

Read Beth’s full bio here.

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Joanne Vickers

Call today 01772 280323 Email joannevickers@vslaw.co.uk

Joanne Vickers is a Paralegal in the Private Client department at Vincents Lytham office. She has 25 years of experience working in Private Client services, taking on her Paralegal role in 2013.

Joanne helps her clients with preparation of Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Probate matters. She also deals with attorneyship matters.

Read Joanne’s full bio here.

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Amy Whiteside

Call today 01772 2348905 Email amywhiteside@vslaw.co.uk

Amy started her career with Vincents at Knott End in 2014.   Over the past nine years Amy has gained experience in Conveyancing, preparing Wills & LPA’s and administrating estates.

Read Amy’s full bio here.

Lisa Lodge, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Probate and Trusts Lisa Lodge
Sean Aldridge, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Trusts and Probate Sean Aldridge
David Hinchliffe, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Probate and Trusts David Hinchliffe
Patricia Prescott, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Trusts and Probate Patricia Prescott
Chris Mathews, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Trusts and Probate Chris Mathews
Sarah McCarthy, Wills, Trusts and Probate
Wills, Trusts and Probate Sarah McCarthy.
Nicola Hayes, Vincents Solicitors
Court of Protection Nicola Hayes
Deeana Coker, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Trusts and Probate Deeana Coker
Beth Laws, Vincents Solicitors
Childcare Beth Laws
Joanne Vickers, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Trusts and Probate Joanne Vickers
Amy Whiteside, Vincents Solicitors
Wills, Trusts and Probate Amy Whiteside
Writing Your Will

What can happen if I die and don’t have a will?

Without a Will, your estate may not go to who you want it to, and your beneficiaries may pay unnecessary inheritance tax.

If you die and don’t have a Will in place, you can’t guarantee that any of your wishes will be carried out – including the life and future you want for your children, what will happen with your pets, or even whether you will be buried or cremated.

How much is it to write my Will?

Given all the benefits of writing a Will and providing future security to your precious loved ones, the cost of writing a simple single Will or a mirrored Will, if you want to write a Will with your husband or partner, is relatively inexpensive.

At Vincents, expert assistance in preparing a Will is vital. Clear advice feels better, and we want you to have peace of mind. Writing a Will is not something that you should put off until old age. If you have assets or children, then you should act now to set out your wishes in a clear and unambiguous way.

We will ensure that your Will works for you and your beneficiaries.

Finally, we provide a Will storage service at no extra cost.

For Clear, Precise Advice, call our team today on 01772 555 176 or email Lisalodge@vslaw.co.uk

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Frequently asked questions

Yes you can pursue a claim for any loss of earnings you have suffered so long as you are able to prove that it was necessary for you to be absent from work and you are able to support by way of evidence such as payslips how much money you have lost. Vincents Solicitors will be able to advise you about this as part of the claims process.
You need to speak to a firm who has experts in dealing with whatever particular problem that you have whether that be Divorce, Writing your will, Conveyancing or something more specialist like Medical Negligence Misdiagnosis Claims or Trade Marks and Patents. At Vincents we have specialists across 7 locations who are approachable, knowledgeable and speak in plain english. Try and call us today and find out if we are the right fit for you.
If the person who has died has not left a valid Will, this is referred to as dying intestate.
This is the general term for a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration, as there are also other forms of Grants which can be obtained in various situations. Our team can advise and assist with obtaining the relevant documents.
This is a general term used for Executors and Administrators, they are responsible for ensuring all aspects of the estate are administered correctly. Our dedicated Probate Team can assist Personal Representatives and act on their behalf to ensure their role is fulfilled correctly.
A Lasting Power of Attorney sets out who will manage your affairs if you lose capacity through illness or injury. Consider all the things which will need doing.

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Clear Advice Feels Better

Client Testimonial

Perfect Experience

Our experience was just perfect.  A good listener, knows her products well, willing to advise, confident yet modest.  An asset to the team.

 

R & K Wilson, Garstang Garstang office Private Client
Welfare Benefit Review Success

Clear Advice Feels Better

After reviewing one of our Court of Protection clients welfare benefit payments we have secured a back dated payment of £22,000 from Aug 2021, monthly income from £0 – £1,502.  Together with a previously secured ESA payment of £16,901.30 our client has  received a total of £39.216.30 which he did not realise he was entitled to without the support of his Deputy Oliver Banks and his amazing team.

Review provided by Abigail Cuffe, Garstang office Private Client
Private Client testimonial

Commended for their expertise

I initially spoke to Mary in Garstang Office to enquire about setting up a Power of Attorney, Mary was polite and explained in detail what was required.

I next spoke to Lisa who gathered all of the personal information required to draw up the POA and this was followed up by a home visit from Mary for my part to be signed.  This was very much appreciated as a disabled, elderly person.

 

These two young ladies are to be commended for their expertise and the respect shown to me.

 

M T Gregor, Garstang Garstang office Private Client