SO, HOW DOES IT WORK AND WHAT WILL IT COST ME? Firstly, let us state that we are well aware there are plenty of firms that advertise cheap Wills, Powers of Attorney and Probate Administration services both on the internet and in the press. We do not compete in that market as we prefer to focus on quality of service and professionalism.        WILLS   However, we do have two levels of service that we offer for clients who wish to make Wills - a Non-Advisory service and an Advisory service.  All of the following information is also shown on each sections individual page. Non Advisory Service We offer a postal "Non-advisory" service that is really only suitable for married couples who wish to make simple mirror Wills giving everything to each other and then to their children, or for single people whose affairs are straightforward and who wish to leave their estate divided between individuals or charity.   The prices for this service are as follows – Simple single Will - £40 including VAT Simple mirror Wills - £70 including VAT If you wish us to supervise the execution of the Will in our offices to make sure it is executed correctly and in accordance with provisions laid down in the Wills Act 1837 then this will cost an additional £20. We will also offer to store the Will for a further £10 per year, payable every 4 years. All prices for our Non Advisory Service include VAT. Please be aware that by using this service you will not receive any advice at all from a consultant. Consequently, it is not appropriate to use this if – Your estate is in excess of £300,000 You wish to receive advice on Inheritance Tax or Estate planning This is your second (or third!) marriage You are divorced or separated You are co-habiting You are in a same-sex relationship Your children are going through marital or financial difficulties and you want to know how to protect your assets from being taken by the in-law or the truistee for bankruptcy You have children from a previous relationship You have step children You wish to partially or totally disinherit someone who is a dependent relative or who was a major beneficiary in a previous will  The Will needs to be prepared urgently You want advice on how to protect your assets for your children in the event that your spouse remarries after your death You want to know how to prevent the local authority taking all of your assets in the event that your spouse needs permanent nursing care after you death   If any of the above apply to you then we would strongly recommend that you use our "Advisory Service" as there will be information that you may need to be aware of so you can make an informed choice about what you wish to achieve.   This information is repeated on this services individual page. Advisory Service For over 20 years we have prided ourselves on the quality of service that we offer. Each Will is dictated according to the circumstances of the individual. Many Will writers produce "off the shelf" Wills that will do the job, provided your circumstances fit their questionnaire. Our consultants, however, will take your details and present you with a series of choices on how best to achieve your objectives.  The choice is always yours ultimately and they will draft the Will in accordance with your wishes, as opposed to making your circumstances fit their criteria. With regard to costs, the service is essentially time based and we also currently offer a free Will storage facility as well, which is not included in the Non-Advisory service.  As a rough indication, the likely costs for preparation of a Will using our advisory service are: Simple single Will - £100 - £150 plus VAT More complex single Will - £150 plus VAT upwards Simple mirror Wills - £175 - £250 plus VAT More complex mirror Wills - £300 plus VAT upwards There may be peripheral documents such as Letters of Wishes, Inheritance Act statements, Notices of Severance, etc. that will incur additional costs. All the above cost indications are based on the client attending at our offices during office hours. We do provide home, bedside, hospital and evening visits but these all incur additional costs depending on where the client is situated.  Bedside and hospital visits are usually a matter of urgency and the Will very often has to be prepared there and then as there may be insufficient time to take the instructions away and prepare the Will in our office.  In such cases the cost will be at least £250 plus VAT.   This information is repeated on this services individual page.     *********************************     ESTATE PLANNING   The cost of our Estate planning interviews can sometimes be included within the cost of Wills using our advisory service.  However, there have been occasions where people want the interviews on their own.  This is calculated using our hourly rate and the cost of the interview would typically be between £100 and £150 plus VAT.   This information is repeated on this services individual page.   *********************************    PROBATE SERVICES     For over 20 years we have acted as Consultants to various firms of solicitors on Probate related matters and also have thousands of our own clients who have benefited from our services. We can obtain Grants of Probate, deal with estates of people who have died without a Will (intestate) and at the end each beneficiary will obtain a comprehensive set of Estate accounts. These will show the assets and liabilities at the date of death together with any income and expenditure throughout the administration period. Inheritance Tax can be mitigated and in some cases even avoided. Deeds of Variation can be prepared if necessary. We are extremely competitive regarding costs in this area of Law but please note we do not operate on a fixed fee basis. It is impossible to give an quote on how much the Administration will cost without knowing the circumstances but we can give a more accurate estimate once we are aware of what the Estate comprises.   This information is repeated on the individual services page.   *********************************    POWERS OF ATTORNEY General Powers of Attorney General Powers of Attorney can be prepared for someone to deal with your affairs, either generally or for a specific transaction, such as the sale of a house. The Attorney's authority ends should you lose or begin to lose your mental capacity. Costs are from £75 plus VAT. Lasting Powers of Attorney These documents gives the Attorney power to deal with your affairs should you lose or begin to lose your mental capacity but the documents must already have been prepared otherwise it is too late! It is a bit like an insurance policy; for instance, if you did not have house contents insurance and were burgled, you couldn’t get insured for what had just been stolen. There are two different Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPOA); one for Property and Affairs and one for Personal Welfare. The latter gives the Attorney the ability to make personal welfare decisions, such as whether to accept or refuse medical treatment on your behalf, or negotiate with social services about where you should live. The former is more-or-less a direct replacement for the old "Enduring Powers of Attorney" that were abolished in October 2007 following implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and give power for the Attorney to deal with financial affairs and property. Both forms are quite lengthy and come in 3 parts – Part A– The donors statement (this is you) and details of the Attorney you are appointing. Part B– The certificate. Before the document becomes valid, a "Certificate Provider" has to interview you alone and make sure you completely understand the document you are making, why you are making it and make sure you are aware of what the Attorney can do should you be unable to make decisions for yourself. Part C– The Attorneys statement. The Attorney also has to be aware of what they are being asked to do and their obligations should they ever be called upon. The costs for these 3 parts will be £500 plus VAT. If a LPOA has been prepared elsewhere we can act as a Certificate Provider for £250 plus VAT. If you only wish us to deal with Part A and/or C and not act as a Certificate Provider then again, the costs will be £250 plus VAT. Once the LPOA has been completed the document cannot be used until it is registered with the Court. This can be done at any time and needn’t be only when you have lost your mental capacity, although we would advise to wait until then. The court fee for registration is currently £150 and our fees to deal with the registration on your behalf are £250 plus VAT.   This information is repeated on this services individual page.