Looking for the best online wills lawyers, or power of attorney, probate/private client lawyers in the UK who you could get in touch with online? Or lawyers who help provide estate planning legal advice to the elderly? Here are some of the top law firms (based on reviews, reputation, ratings and more) who you could consider:-
Private Client Solicitors & Estate Planning Lawyers for the Elderly
For some of the best private client lawyers in London, see Legal 500’s guide here ; for the South West see here; for Scotland see here and for some of the best high net worth (HNW) legal advisers, see Chambers’s Guide here.
Online Wills Lawyers UK
The following can help you with online will writing in different ways. A word of caution – will-writing in the UK itself is not regulated but if you choose a law firm with a qualified Solicitor to write your will (which we’d recommend over completely online providers), they are regulated, and you will have extra protection and a greater degree of certainty that you have instructed and purchased the right will for you.
In addition, if you’re looking to make your will remotely given the coronavirus pandemic, you may want to try to ask for a same-day will and you’ll want to ask your legal services provider how they can go about having your will witnessed and signed effectively to ensure your will is valid (for more on that see below).
LegalWills – “The #1 provider of online Wills and Living Wills for England & Wales – Thousands of legal documents every week. Over 20 years in business.” “We work with professional Will writing solicitors to provide a legal document creation service that allows you to prepare your own professional grade Wills and other estate planning documents.”
Co-op Legal Services – “Our fixed fee Wills start from just £90 for a Living Will, £150 for a Single Will, £245 for Mirror Wills and a fixed fee Lasting Power of Attorney starts from £270. All prices are inclusive of VAT.”
Irwin Mitchell – “Our will writing service is easy to use and tailored to your needs. You can make a will online, by post, by phone or in person. We can store your Will and offer free amendments as part of our Wills Assured service. We also act as executors for many clients, and have administered thousands of estates.”
Guardian Angel – Fastest growing online will writers in the UK, looking to make the process quick and easy, removing some of the hurdles that stand between us and the thing that never quite makes it to the top of our to-do list, even if we know it should. Rated 4.8 on Trustpilot, working with a large network of charity and business partners including: John Lewis, Virgin Money, Royal Horticultural Society, and St Barnabas. “A business on a mission, founder Sam’s Mum died in a car accident a few years ago. The last thing he wanted to be thinking about at this time is sorting out wills, documents and paper. Sam founded Guardian Angel so that more people get round to ticking these important decisions off their list by making this process simple and easy for people so when that time does come, families and friends can focus on the important thing – grieving and celebrating a loved one.”; “A real passion project. That’s why we don’t just stop at online wills. We also created 100% free support hubs for families to celebrate loved ones. A space to share memories, organise the weird logistics around death and keep everyone up to date about the funeral. It’s everything Sam felt he needed around that time, all in one place.”
How can you Sign a Will without Witness with the Coronavirus Lockdown / Self-Isolating Situation?
You may also be wondering, in light of the current coronavirus lockdown situation, how you can sign a will as you may not have a witness who can sign to say they’ve witnessed you signing the document. Best practice and guidelines are currently evolving on this subject – and the legalities may be different in the various jurisdictions across the UK (i.e. NI, Scotland and England & Wales) but there are a few firms who have already suggested practical solutions:-
The Burnside Partnership, a law firm in England, has a ‘drive-thru wills signing‘ solution, in addition to them also visiting clients’ homes.
Nelsons Solicitors, a firm in England, suggests “For example, you could call your neighbours or your friends and arrange a meeting in your garden, driveway or street. Everyone should use their own pens, wear gloves and ensure they stand two metres apart. Place the document on a flat surface, such as a table or car bonnet, with each person stepping forward separately to sign the Will. Once complete, the Will should be placed into an envelope before gloves are removed.”
Burness Paull, one of Scotland’s leading law firms, suggests (in the context of signing of powers of attorney – for which see below), “All that is required is yourself, any video conferencing facility (Skype being one example) and a witness (over the age of 16 and not related to you) to be present at the time of signing”. Note that in Scotland, only witness is required and should sign every page of the will. In England, two witnesses are required.
But again, this is a fast-moving area of contention and discussions and plans are happening. See for instance this update in the Law Society Gazette – as at 25th March 2020, “The Law Society and the Ministry of Justice are discussing ways to deformalise the signing of wills and to make it quicker to register for lasting powers of attorney. Currently a will must be signed by the testator and two independent witnesses.”
You should take independent legal advice from a Solicitor before deciding what advice to rely on when having your will signed (‘executed’).
Online Power of Attorney Lawyers
Slater & Gordon – “While a Will is here to ensure your wishes are carried out after you pass away, an LPA is to protect your interests during your lifetime”; “Slater and Gordon have experts in lasting power of attorney ready to help you.”
Rocket Lawyer – “Make sure someone has the authority to handle your legal affairs with this power of attorney (also known as a POA) when you are out of the country or in hospital. ” “Why Rocket Lawyer?: Easy legal documents – Find trusted documents for hundreds of purposes. Answer a few questions to customise them to your needs & sign online in seconds.”
Co-op Legal Services – “offer initial advice about making a Lasting Power of Attorney.”; “How Much Does a Lasting Power of Attorney Cost? A Lasting Power of Attorney costs from £270* including VAT; Mirror Lasting Power of Attorney for two people start from £450* including VAT.”
Probate Lawyers UK
Co-op Legal Services – “Named Probate Provider of the Year 2018, Co-op Legal Services has the largest team of Probate specialists in the country, and is trusted to deal with over £1.3 billion in Estates annually. We help and support thousands of bereaved individuals and families many of whom come to us from Co-op Funeralcare.”
CWC Solicitors – Re online probate application service – “For now, we will continue to see how the new system works and whether we will see an increase in claims against estates and issues or rectifications when Grants of Probate go wrong. Just because something has been made easier for some, does not mean it is better for everyone!”
Oratto Solicitors – “As probate is a vast area of law, there are many solicitors to choose from, and we understand the amount of choice can add to the confusion, but Oratto makes choosing the most suitable solicitor for your case as straightforward as possible.”
Slater & Gordon – “We want to make the law concerning estate administration more accessible to our clients. If you have a question about wills, trusts, taxes or probate our leading solicitors are here to assist you.”
Need Help With Your Online Will / Power of Attorney or Probate Matter?
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