Can I Still Make A Will?
You may be worried that you have left it too late to make your Will with Mayo Wynne Baxter now that our offices are closed in line with the Government advice for everyone to stay at home as much as possible. Please be assured that we are still able to provide you with legal services, including Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, from the comfort of your (and our!) own home.
How Do I Tell You What I Want?
We can provide you with a comprehensive questionnaire which helps to focus your mind and gives us all of the information we need to make your Will. These can be sent and returned quickly and easily by email. The questionnaire will then be followed up by a chat with one of our Legal Advisers, either by telephone or, if you would prefer or the Legal Advisor believes it necessary to confirm your identity, via the Skype or Zoom apps. Your Will will then be drafted and checked and emailed back to you with a comprehensive letter explaining each clause of your Will in an easy to understand, no nonsense way.
Once you are happy with your Will we can send you an engrossment (or posh copy) through the post for you to sign.
How Do I Sign My Will?
You will need to sign your new Will in the presence of two independent witnesses. These are people who are over the age of 16, unrelated to you and who are not mentioned in the Will. Your witnesses do not need to read or know the contents of your Will. It may well be that your neighbours are the best people to ask in the current circumstances, however you must ensure that you are all safe at all times. We advise that you remain 2-3 feet away from each other, that you all use your own pen and that you wash your hands thoroughly before and after the signing. You need to remain together whilst all of you sign the Will; the witnesses add their details and the Will is dated. We advise all our clients and witnesses to sign at the foot of each page of the Will, to ensure that no additional pages can be inserted at a later date. You may feel safer signing the Will out in the open air and this is absolutely fine, so long as all three of you can see what each person is doing.
The Law Society are urging the Ministry of Justice to introduce new legislation to make signing your Will easier during this unprecedented time and we will keep you fully informed as new information is received.
Returning Your Will
When we send your Will for signing we will also send a pre-paid envelope so that you can drop your newly executed Will straight in the nearest post box, directly back to our Head Office where a skeleton staff are processing all post. Your Will will then be placed in storage and a copy emailed to you for your records.
How Do I Pay My Bill?
We will also email you an invoice for our charges. These are very competitively priced from £300 plus VAT for a single Will and £400 plus VAT for two mirror Wills. Mirror Wills are Wills for a couple where the main body of the Wills are identical, with names and addresses swapped over. We have a set charging structure for more complicated Wills and your Legal Adviser can give you a detailed quote, if necessary, when reviewing your instructions and questionnaire.
Mayo Wynne Baxter are very aware that, in the current circumstances, you may be feeling anxious to complete your new Will but more anxious about paying invoices in such uncertain times. We have therefore implemented a deferred payment scheme for all of our Wills so that, should you wish to, you can delay settling your invoice for up to three months after signing it.
As always, our main concern right now is to provide an unequalled level of service to our clients and our Legal Advisers and their teams are contactable on their usual email addresses and direct dial numbers. You can find these on our staff profiles if you do not have these details to hand.
We look forward to hearing from you and we are, as always, by your side every step of the way.
Tracy Rowden
Associate & Chartered Legal Executive
Probate Trusts & Wills