Making a will is the only way to decide who inherits your home, savings and possessions. Without one, the intestacy rules decide for you, and unmarried partners and stepchildren receive nothing. In London, where an ordinary family home can take an estate above the inheritance tax threshold, a will is also a planning tool: a solicitor can structure gifts, trusts and charitable legacies so that less of what you leave goes in tax.
A will solicitor in London will draft a will that is valid, clear and hard to challenge, which matters more than it sounds. Home-made and online wills regularly fail because they are witnessed incorrectly, leave out assets, or are ambiguous about who gets what, and the disputes that follow cost far more than the will would have. Many firms offer fixed fees for single and mirror wills, and most will also prepare lasting powers of attorney so that someone you trust can manage your money or health decisions if you lose capacity.
The same solicitors usually handle probate: valuing the estate, dealing with HMRC, obtaining the grant of probate and distributing the assets to the beneficiaries. Executors can do this themselves, but London estates with property, investments or overseas assets are often complex, and executors are personally liable for mistakes, so professional help is common.
Below are solicitors offering wills, trusts and probate services within 20 miles of central London, with verified featured firms listed first and the rest ordered by distance. Our guides explain wills, trusts and probate, what a will costs, probate fees and lasting powers of attorney, and you can read more about will writing solicitors in general.
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