Relationship breakdown and Wills

Breaking up after a serious relationship can be really hard for both parties. You might have children together, joint accounts together, owned property together or made Wills that mirror each other. It can be hard separating finances, finding somewhere new to live, splitting personal possessions. It’s right up there with one of the most stressful times in our lives as you tick through the list of things that need to be done.

One of the legal things that you should do is to make a new Will. If you have been through a divorce once it has finally been settled by the court it has the legal effect of taking out your former spouse or civil partner from the Will all together. This however doesn’t include their children so as has sometimes happened you can get divorced but previous step children can inherit.

It could be the case that you have split but are still living in the same house. In this case it’s really important to get good legal advice as the person you are living with might be in a position to make a claim against your estate if you died, this could limit the amount that passes to your family.

It is also best to get things sorted at an early stage and may be change the way you own jointly held property.

One other important factor can be parental responsibility and guardianship of any children you which again can be covered in any Will you write together with your views on how you would want them to be brought up.

Contact us today to review your Will or to make a Will. We offer free half hour will review meetings to check if any updates are needed. If you decide to make a Will or update an existing Will, we work to fixed fees and aim to make the process as easy as possible.