The Civil Partnership Act 2004 made provisions in law for couples including same sex couples (male & male or female & female) couples to have a Civil Partnership ceremony and live together with similar rights to those of a traditional male & female married couple.

Whenever any couple enter into a marriage or a civil partnership it is an essential part of the process to write wills. Optionally one or both partners can also change their name by deed poll.

Not only does having a will help to avoid any potential family disputes in the event of death or either or both partners – it also helps clarify the wishes of each partner about what would happen to their belongings and their share in the estate.

A legally drafted will enhance the rights of both partners and minimise (or in some cases completely eliminates) and overpayment of inheritance tax.

Our friendly and professional will writers are trained to ask you the right questions and find out what exactly your wishes are. There are no forms to fill out. We make it all really simple and straightforward.

Without both partners in a civil partnership having a will the chances are that property, investments and personal items will not be distributed to the persons that the deceased would have liked. However with a will we can ensure wishes are carried out to the letter. This enhances the overall legal protection of the civil partnership.

If children are involved this is especially important because without a legal will it would be down to a court’s decision about who would care for any children under the age of 18 if one partner died and the children could end up in the care of social services. A properly drafted will can prevent that from happening.

Also without a will the surviving partner may not automatically inherit any of the estate. Therefore it is essential to write a will if it is the wishes of both partners to pass their share in the estate to the other. It will not happen automatically just because of the civil partnership agreement.

If a couple in a civil partnership do not have wills written then the stress of trying to sort out the estate only adds extra burden. It is much more sensible and wise to write wills. For the sake of £149 for a single will or £199 for a double will the peace of mind that a properly written will gives is immeasurable.

Our qualified will writers will be more than happy to visit you in your home and learn exactly what your wishes are. They will then take instructions from you and within a few days come back with your will. You will need to organise two people to witness the signing of the will who are not themselves beneficiaries. We usually recommend neighbours rather than just grabbing people off the street!

For a very reasonable annual fee we can store your original signed wills in a secure storage facility. This will prevent anyone from altering or destroying your wills. In the event of your death we can act as a professional executor and help the other people you have named as executor to carry out your wishes to the letter.

Writing a will now gives you peace of mind for your entire lifetime and whenever you need to make changes you know you will be able to do so.