Wills
What is a Will?
A Will is a legal document that sets out your wishes for the distribution of your home and assets following your death. It is also a document that can provide for the legal guardians of minor children (for example, children under 18 years of age).
Many individuals and families often do not appreciate the full extent of matters requiring their consideration when making a Will. Anyone undertaking writing a Will ought to have advice from a solicitor on the options available. This also ensures that the Will is carefully and properly prepared and signed off, and that it is legally valid.
Typical issues on which we are asked to advise include:
- How can I structure my Will to ensure that my share of my home and assets pass to my children on my wife’s death? Can I protect them from any change in her circumstances after my death?
- Who should I choose as Executors and guardians and what do those roles involve in practice?
- My wife and I own assets greater than the Inheritance Tax (IHT) threshold (currently £325,000). How can we implement IHT planning within our Wills?
- How can we structure our Wills to protect our estate from being used up by nursing and care fees?
- How can we pass our assets to our children to avoid potential claims from their spouses in the event of a divorce or from others claiming against their assets?
- What are the usual substitute provisions put into Wills in the event that our primary beneficiaries die before us?
- How are funeral provisions and wishes usually dealt with in Wills?
- How would our Wills be administered if your firm were appointed to act as Executors or if you were asked by our family to administer our Estate? What are the current Probate procedures and costs?
- Overall, how can we ensure the Will is correctly drawn up, certify its validity and ensure that all of the legal necessities as to capacity, knowledge and understanding of what is being carried out are formally covered?
Meet the Private Client Team at BWK Solicitors
Our Private Client team provides trusted legal advice and support on personal estate planning, wills, probate, trusts, powers of attorney, and broader private wealth matters. We help clients organise and protect what matters most — your family, your legacy and your peace of mind.
Leading the team is Usman Khan LLB Hons, Solicitor, Head of Private Client, who specialises in wills, estate and inheritance tax planning, trust structures, lasting powers of attorney, and probate and estate administration. Usman brings extensive experience and a clear, supportive style to highly personal legal matters.
Johanna Knott BA SFE TEP, Senior Associate Solicitor – a highly experienced solicitor in private client work, including complex estate planning, trust advisory, Court of Protection matters and administration of estates. Her STEP accreditation reflects her expertise in managing sensitive and high-value private affairs.
Lucy Pankhurst LLB Hons, Associate Solicitor – provides a personable and informed approach to wills, trusts, probate and powers of attorney, often meeting clients in locations that suit their needs.
Jeremy Wise FCILEx, Legal Executive & Director – specialises in Wills and Estate Planning; Powers of Attorney (LPAs) for both Property & Financial and Health & Welfare, and all aspects of Probate and estate administration, including the administration process, advising on both taxable and non-taxable estates, completing and submitting inheritance tax accounts, preparing estate accounts and obtaining the Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration on intestacy.
This team offers a compassionate and knowledgeable service for individuals and families looking to plan for the future, administer estates, or put robust legal protections in place.
