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Making a will is one of the most important things you can do for your family. Without one, you don’t get to decide who inherits your home, your savings, or your possessions. The law decides for you, and the people you love could miss out entirely. Our will writing solicitors make the process straightforward. We’ll listen to what you want, explain your options, and create a will that protects the people who matter most.
Get a free, no-obligation chat with our wills and probate team, call us on 02920 829 100 or use our Contact us form.
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More than half of adults in the UK don’t have a will. Some put it off because they think it’s complicated or expensive. Others assume their partner or children will automatically inherit everything. They’re often wrong.
If you die without a will, the intestacy rules decide what happens to your estate. Your unmarried partner could receive nothing. Your stepchildren might be excluded. Estranged relatives you haven’t spoken to in years could inherit ahead of close friends who’ve been part of your life for decades.
Making a will puts you back in control. You decide who gets what. You choose who looks after your children if the worst happens. You can reduce the inheritance tax your family will have to pay. And you make life easier for the people you leave behind by giving them clear instructions rather than legal uncertainty.
Our will writing solicitors help individuals and families across Wales and the UK create wills that reflect their wishes and protect their loved ones. Whether you need a simple will, a more complex arrangement involving trusts, or want to update an existing will after a change in circumstances, we’re here to help.
Ready for a free, no-obligation chat? Contact us today on 02920 829 100 or use our Contact us form.
Without a will, you have no say over who gets your estate. With a will, you choose exactly who benefits, whether that’s your spouse, children, grandchildren, friends, or a charity you care about.
If you’re not married or in a civil partnership, your partner has no automatic right to inherit anything from you. A will is the only way to make sure they’re provided for.
If you have children under 18, your will is where you name the person you’d want to look after them if both parents die. Without this, the court decides, and it might not be who you’d choose.
With the right advice, you can structure your will to minimise the inheritance tax your family pays. This could mean thousands of pounds more going to your loved ones instead of HMRC.
Dealing with someone’s estate is hard enough without added complications. A clear, properly drafted will makes the process much simpler for your executors and beneficiaries.
Through trusts and other arrangements, you can protect your assets from risks like divorce, bankruptcy, or care home fees.
If your situation is straightforward, you might just need a simple will that names your beneficiaries and executors. We’ll make sure it’s properly drafted and legally valid, so there’s no risk of it being challenged or set aside.
Couples often have similar wishes, leaving everything to each other initially and then to their children. Mirror wills are two separate wills with matching terms. We can prepare both together, making the process quicker and more cost-effective.
If you need more control over how and when your beneficiaries receive their inheritance, we can include trusts in your will. These are useful if you have young children, want to protect assets from a beneficiary’s divorce, or have a complex family situation.
If you own a business or shares in a company, your will needs careful thought. We’ll help you plan for succession, protect the business, and make the most of available inheritance tax reliefs.
Already have a will but need to make changes? We can help you update it to reflect new circumstances. Sometimes a small amendment (called a codicil) is enough. Other times, it’s better to write a new will entirely. We’ll advise on the best approach.
Once your will is signed, it needs to be stored safely. We offer secure storage so you know your will won’t be lost or damaged.
When you make a will with us, we’ll help you think through all the important decisions:
Who do you want to inherit your estate? This could be one person, several people, or a combination of individuals and organisations. You can leave your entire estate to one person, divide it between several people in whatever proportions you choose, or make specific gifts of particular items or amounts of money.
Your executors are the people who’ll be responsible for carrying out the instructions in your will. They’ll gather your assets, pay any debts and taxes, and distribute your estate to your beneficiaries. Most people choose family members or close friends, but you can also appoint a professional executor like a solicitor.
If you have children under 18, you can name the person you’d want to look after them if both parents die. This is one of the most important decisions in your will.
If you’re setting up trusts in your will, you’ll need to appoint trustees to manage them. Trustees are responsible for looking after assets and distributing them to beneficiaries according to the terms you set out.
While not legally binding, you can include your wishes about your funeral in your will, or in a separate letter of wishes. This can give your family guidance and peace of mind.
You might want to leave particular items to specific people, such as jewellery, family heirlooms, or cash gifts to friends or charities.
We’ll have a conversation to understand your situation, your family, and what you want to achieve. This can be face-to-face at our offices, over the phone, or by video call, whichever suits you best.
We’ll ask you about your assets (property, savings, investments), any debts, your family situation, and who you want to benefit from your estate. We’ll also discuss who should be your executors and, if relevant, guardians for your children.
We’ll prepare a draft will based on our discussions. You’ll have a chance to review it and ask any questions. If anything needs changing, we’ll amend the draft until you’re completely happy.
Once the will is finalised, you’ll need to sign it in the presence of two independent witnesses. We’ll explain exactly what’s required to make sure your will is legally valid.
We’ll arrange for your will to be stored securely. We can keep the original for you, or we can advise on other safe storage options.
We believe in being upfront about costs. You should know what you’re paying before you commit to anything.
Typical fee ranges:
We offer fixed fees for most will writing work, so you’ll know the cost from the outset. If your situation is more complex and requires additional work, we’ll explain this and agree the costs with you before proceeding.
Our fees typically include:
You can write a will yourself using a DIY kit or an online service. These options are cheaper upfront, but they come with risks:
The cost of using a solicitor is modest compared to the peace of mind you get, and the problems you avoid.
Your will should be reviewed regularly, and updated whenever your circumstances change significantly. Common reasons to update your will include:
Getting married or entering a civil partnership automatically revokes any existing will (unless it was made in anticipation of the marriage). You’ll need a new will.
While divorce doesn’t automatically revoke your will, it does affect certain provisions. Your ex-spouse won’t be able to act as executor or benefit from gifts to them, but this can cause unintended consequences. It’s best to make a new will after divorce.
When you have children, you’ll want to update your will to provide for them and name guardians.
If someone named in your will dies before you, you may need to update it to name alternatives.
Buying or selling property, receiving an inheritance, or any major change in your financial situation is a good reason to review your will.
If your relationship with someone named in your will has changed significantly, good or bad, you might want to reflect that in your will.
Different parts of the UK have different legal systems. If you move, or if you have assets abroad, your will may need updating.
Choosing a law firm is a big decision. You want experts who actually get you and your organisation, respond when you need them, and give you straight answers. That’s us. We’re one of Wales’ leading commercial law firms, and we do things a little differently.
You won’t be passed through layers of gatekeepers here. When you call, you’ll speak to the solicitor handling your matter. You’ll have their direct contact details and a genuine working relationship. For something as personal as your will, that matters.
We don’t work in silos. Our will writing team works closely with colleagues in tax, property, and commercial law. If your will involves business interests, property considerations, or complex tax planning, we have the expertise in-house to deal with everything together.
Devolved decision-making and flexible working hours mean we can move at pace. You’ll get faster responses, even outside regular office hours. If you need a will prepared urgently, we can prioritise your case.
Getting to know our clients properly matters to us. Face-to-face meetings, regular catch-ups, and genuine personal service. Many clients come back to us for Lasting Powers of Attorney, estate planning, and other legal matters because they know and trust us.
You’ll always get the full picture from us. We’ll explain your options clearly, including things you might not have considered, so you can make informed decisions. No jargon, no hedging, just practical guidance you can rely on.
We’re the leading commercial law firm with offices in South and North Wales offering Welsh language legal services at every level, from trainees right through to partners. This isn’t an add-on or a tick-box exercise. It’s part of who we are. If you’d prefer to discuss something as personal as your will in Welsh, you’ll find that expertise right across our team.
We’ll keep you informed throughout the process and let you know when your will is ready to sign. If there are any issues or delays, you’ll hear about them from us straight away.
Professional, concise, proactive and efficient. Just what I wanted. My past experience with solicitors, in a professional capacity has not been great, so it has been a refreshing change. Chris Wood
Our fees for a simple will start from £395 + VAT. Mirror wills for couples start from £695 + VAT. More complex wills involving trusts, business assets, or international elements will cost more, but we’ll always give you a clear quote before starting any work. The cost of using a solicitor is typically between £150 and £500, depending on complexity, which is modest compared to the problems that can arise from a poorly drafted DIY will.
Legally, no. You can write your own will or use an unregulated will writer. But a solicitor ensures your will is legally valid, properly structured, and actually achieves what you want it to. We’re regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which gives you protection if something goes wrong. Many problems with DIY wills only come to light after death, when it’s too late to fix them.
For a straightforward will, the process usually takes a few weeks from initial consultation to signing. We can move faster if you need a will urgently. More complex wills involving trusts or business interests may take longer to get right.
If you die without a valid will (called dying “intestate”), your estate is distributed according to the intestacy rules. These rules follow a fixed legal hierarchy: spouse first, then children (although if you die leaving a spouse and children and your assets are worth over £322,000 the amount above that figure will be divided, with the spouse or civil partner receiving 50% of this and the children entitled to other 50% between them), then parents, then siblings, and so on. Unmarried partners receive nothing. Stepchildren receive nothing. Close friends receive nothing. The rules rarely match what most people would actually want.
Yes. You can update your will at any time while you have mental capacity. For small changes, you might add a codicil (a formal amendment). For bigger changes, it’s usually better to make a new will entirely. We recommend reviewing your will every few years, or whenever your circumstances change significantly.
Your will must be witnessed by two independent adults (over 18) who are present when you sign. Witnesses cannot be beneficiaries of your will, or the spouse or civil partner of a beneficiary. If a beneficiary witnesses your will, their gift will fail.
It depends on your circumstances. Trusts can be useful if you want to protect assets from a beneficiary’s divorce, provide for someone who can’t manage money themselves, ensure children from a previous relationship inherit, protect assets from care home fees, or control when beneficiaries receive their inheritance. We can advise whether a trust would be beneficial in your situation.
A will deals with what happens to your assets after you die. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) deals with what happens while you’re still alive if you lose the capacity to make decisions yourself. They serve different purposes, and most people should have both. We can prepare your will and LPA together.
Yes. You can leave all or part of your estate to any registered charity. Charitable gifts are exempt from inheritance tax, and if you leave at least 10% of your estate to charity, the inheritance tax rate on the rest of your estate reduces from 40% to 36%.
If you own property or other assets in another country, you may need a separate will to deal with those assets, governed by the law of that country. We can advise on the best approach and work with lawyers in other jurisdictions if needed.
Choose people you trust to carry out your wishes fairly and efficiently. Most people choose family members or close friends. Consider whether they have the time, ability, and willingness to take on the role. You can appoint more than one executor, and you can also appoint a professional executor (like a solicitor) if you prefer.
Your will should be kept somewhere safe where your executors can find it after your death. We offer secure storage, or you can store it at home in a fireproof safe, with a bank, or with the Probate Registry. The important thing is that your executors know where it is.
9 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9HA
Unit F12, InTec, Ffordd y Parc, Parc Menai, Bangor, LL57 4FG
We’re happy to meet clients at either office. We can also arrange home visits for clients who are less mobile, or conduct meetings by phone or video call if that’s more convenient for you.
Making a will is one of the most important things you can do for your family. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, and the peace of mind it brings is invaluable.
Don’t leave it to chance. Don’t assume the law will sort things out the way you’d want. Take control and make sure your wishes are clear.
Contact us for a free, no-obligation chat to discuss your situation and how we can help.
call us on 02920 829 100 or use our Contact us form.
To speak to one of our experts today, please contact us on 02920 829 100 or by using our Contact Us form for a free initial chat to see how we can help.
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