We combine legal advice with independent financial advice, so you can plan your Will in connection with your other financial plans.
Our large team of wills and trusts solicitors offer a comprehensive range of wills, trusts, tax, probate services including:
We work with you at every step. We'll explain your options, and how any decision might effect you and your dependents, in plain English. We make sure you're completely informed at every stage, so you fully understand the implications to you. We also explain the benefits, and any potential risk to you - so we can plan around it together.
Call us for a free, confidential, no obligation chat, or fill out our enquiry form and we will let you know how we can help. We can also visit you at your home if you wish.
Our specialist lawyers are based in:
But we can help you wherever you are in England and Wales.
Legal 500 UK 2021
‘I have dealt with Nicola Havers as executor on probate matters and as a trustee for a family trust - she operates with calmness, tact, and diplomacy. Nicola is an efficient case manager. She brings in additional specialist advisers at the appropriate stages to supplement her own advice.’
Legal 500 UK 2021, South East - Private Client - Personal tax, trusts and probate: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx
Legal 500 UK 2021
‘The team has been helpful to me and my late mother in a range of ways that I feel go above and beyond the strict job description. In particular, they responded very quickly to her when she wanted legal help urgently when she discovered she was terminally ill. As she died two weeks later, Tees’ quick and helpful response was a great gift to her and so to me.‘
Legal 500 UK 2021, East Anglia - Private Client: Personal tax, trusts & probate
Legal 500 UK 2021
‘I have found the staff of Tees Law to be professional and highly responsive. It is clear that they care deeply about their clients’ needs and delivering a first class service‘.
Legal 500 UK 2021, South East - Private Client: Personal tax, trusts & probate: Essex
Legal 500 UK 2021
‘The team at Tees takes the time to explain what will happen and made sure l understood the process. They kept me updated without me having to contact them. After the meetings, l was happy l had a good grasp of what was a complicated legal request.’
Legal 500 UK 2021, South East - Personal tax, trusts and probate: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx
If you die without a will, your money will be distributed under the rules of intestacy. Under intestacy rules, your next of kin can inherit your money and assets according to a strict order of priority.
If you have a spouse or civil partner and children, then your spouse/ civil partner would receive the first £250,000 of your estate and personal chattels. Anything above this amount would be split as to half for the surviving spouse/ civil partner and half equally between your children. If any of your children have predeceased you, then their share may pass to any surviving children of theirs.
If you should pass away without any surviving spouse/civil partner, children or grandchildren then your estate shall pass in accordance with the following order of priority:
If you have no surviving relatives as described above, then your estate would pass to the Crown. Having a properly written will in place means your wishes are known and can be carried out after your death.
The benefits of having a properly written will include:
The National Will Register is an official register of wills in the UK. It is approved by the Law Society and used by many solicitor firms. If your will is registered, solicitors can easily find it after your death.
No – it’s not compulsory to register your will on the National Will Register. However, if you register your will it can make it easier for your family to know what your wishes are after your death.
In order to be valid, a will should be:
During this very curious and rather worrying time, it may be that you have turned your mind to sorting out the ‘to-do’ list. “Get Will done” is often one of those things that’s been languishing at the bottom of the list for many people.
There are various issues to bear in mind with regards to making your Will in the situation we currently find ourselves in, ranging from how to give your instructions to your solicitor when unable to meet face to face, to having the Will witnessed. How is one supposed to do that while self-isolating or if you are in the category of most vulnerable people who should avoid leaving their house or proximity with others?
You do have the sign the document yourself – electronic signatures are not accepted on Wills. You also need the signatures of two witnesses. The witnesses should be physically present – except where using the temporary relaxation to the law permitting witnessing by video conference mentioned below.
To obtain the needed signatures, there are various ways this can be done in the current challenging circumstances. For example, it may be that the witnesses could view the signing through a window in view of you and each other.
The witnessing requirements are being relaxed to allow witnessing by video conference, although this is subject to complex requirements. We can supervise completion of Wills we prepare by video conference where appropriate.
When we send you your draft Will, we’ll include specific information about how to make sure it is completed correctly so that it will be valid.
The rules state that the witnesses must:
We’re open and here to help you. We’re running as normal with our employees all working from home.
You can call us as normal on 0800 013 1165 or email us: hello@teeslaw.com.
You can also find contact details for all our advisers here.
As a flexible and technologically-adept firm, we already had many home-working systems in place. We have now rolled this technology out to all our employees working for clients, so they can continue to work normally - and from home.
If you are a client, please be assured you can get in touch with Tees and we are still working on your case. To replace face-to-face meetings, we have the facilities to do video-conferencing, conference calls or just speak on the phone, as you need.
Due to the circumstances, please call us if you would have wanted a home visit, and we can organise the best and safest way of being in touch.
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