Wills are unique documents because you can really only have one legally valid version at any one time, other than additional foreign Wills, and so it is vital we have secure will document storage. We can have legally valid certified copies of many types of documents which can be provided as evidence of a document’s …
Who can Witness a Will?
So who can witness a will? well to be legally valid, a Will must comply with all the requirements set out below: The Will Must be in Writing and Signed by the Testator The Will must be in writing whether this is handwritten or generated using modern word-processing technology. There is no requirement for the …
Business Power of Attorney
You may think that friends or family have an automatic legal right to act upon your behalf in relation to your business, but they do NOT. Likewise, business partners do not automatically have this right unless there is a legally valid partnership agreement in place which confirms that your business partners can legally act upon …
I Have an Enduring Power of Attorney, so do I Also Need a Lasting Power of Attorney?
You may have an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) in which you have appointed people you know and trust, or a professional, to act as your Attorney(s). This may be to help you manage your affairs now OR limited to ONLY allow your attorneys to make decisions for you in future IF you lose your …
I Have an Enduring Power of Attorney, so do I Also Need a Lasting Power of Attorney?Read More
Can an Executor of a Will be Removed?
An Executor of a Will has a legal duty to administer the deceased’s estate. They must make sure assets are identified and called in, debts owed by the deceased are paid, any taxes are declared and paid, and the remaining assets are distributed to the correct people according to the deceased’s Will. Executors are expected …
Will Writing in Wolverhampton
We are pleased to report that TRF Wills can now offer Will Writing in Wolverhampton and the surrounding Midlands, also of course Trust’s, LPA’s, and indeed our full range of services beyond just Will Writing. Although we grew from humble beginnings in Crediton (Mid Devon), Michael Cotterill (the proprietor) arranged his first Will for a …
What is a Discretionary Trust?
A Discretionary Trust is a type of trust where the Trustees are given complete discretion to pay or apply the income or capital of the assets for the benefit of one or all its Beneficiaries. The Trustees have control over how much to distribute at any given time, when to make distributions and to whom …
Do I Need a Grant of Probate?
So do you need a grant of probate? Well, if you are an Executor of a Will or a Representative of a deceased person (if there is no Will), you will need to establish whether a Grant of Probate is required for the estate. Usually, a Grant of Probate is required from a government department …
Co-Ownership of Property
How do you Jointly Own your Property and Why Does it Matter When you Die? When you buy a property, you may be buying it with someone else and you become co-owners as a result. There are two different ways to jointly own property, being either “Joint Tenants” or “Tenants in Common”. Despite the word “tenant” …
Appointing Attorneys for Power of Attorney
Making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is an important decision. Great consideration should be given to how many attorneys are needed, who is going to act, and how they will make decisions. These are the people who will be responsible for making decisions on your behalf and looking after your best interests. Ultimately the …
How does Someone Contest a Will?
Disputes regarding Wills are becoming increasingly common due to the value of the estates involved, so how do you contest a will? Well, continued increases in property prices have also contributed to this problem, in this post we give some ideas as to how someone could contest a will. There are various reasons for someone …
Should you Review your Existing Will?
TRF Wills recommends that you review your existing will & estate plan every 3-5 years. This is to make sure that your Will still matches your wishes. We also recommend reviewing your planning when you have a change in your personal circumstances or when a beneficiary has a change in their circumstances. Many a bitter …
TRF Wills (TRF) was created by Michael Cotterill in 2005. He is a member of the Society of Will Writers and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.