Solicitor to write/check wills

[Fidgetsmum]

After the death of a friend recently, and witnessing the aftermath of him not having a will, I want to do mine asap. It won't be complex, but needs to be done. I know you can get these online ones... but I want to make sure it's as good as it can be.

Recommendations for solicitors? Or do I really need them? I've hear citizens advice bureau can help?

Thanks for advice.

[peckham_ryu]

A family friend sadly died recently, and had a "DIY" will from a kit. The resulting problems had the same galvanising effect on me - I plan to write a will ASAP, and will suck up the ?400 to get it done by a solicitor. It's unfair on other people to leave a right mess behind.

[Siduhe]

Will writing is a not a regulated activity so you don't need a solicitor to write you a valid and binding will. There are DIY options as mentioned and funnily enough I've just come from a presentation about a new online service called Rocket Lawyer which is targeting easy drafting of simple wills. I have no personal knowledge about whether it's any good, but looks interesting and it's obviously better to have a will via a DIY method than not have one at all.

That said, personally, I used Nick Betteridge from Sussex Wills - former solicitor, now retired - he has plenty of recommendations on here. Where I think a person has the edge is in things like how you execute the will to make sure it's binding and it's valid, in simple and understandable terms which was really useful and added value for me and my husband. I'd happily recommend Nick.

[Fidgetsmum]

So. Thank you for the responses. We spoke to Nick Betteridge. He came to our house to find out about our personal circumstances, question us on our wishes and understand our needs. He was *excellent*. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending him. His advice was invaluable and we just wouldn't have had anything like our understanding now, had we gone the DIY route. He is hugely knowledgeable and helpful, patient for responses when he asked tough questions (there were a few my husband and I just hadn't thought about or discussed!!).

Although our wills are relatively very simple, I wouldn't hesitate to use Nick next time we update our wills, nor would I hesitate to recommend him for more complex arrangements.

[dbboy]

Hi do you have contact details for Nick Betteridge please.

[kittysailing]

Hi, sorry I'm a bit late to this. You may well have got sorted but its [email protected]. Drop him a a line and he'll sort you out.

[JRJ]

Another endorsement for Nick here.

My partner and I finally got around to making our first wills. They were relatively simple but involved potentially leaving things in trust for our daughter. Nick came round, explained everything clearly, got them done quickly, and made the whole process easy and painless. And he was very reasonable. Would definitely recommend, and we will certainly use him again should we need to update them in the future.

[kittysailing]

Hi Thanks for the recommendations for Nick - he's got some local slots left for May, June and July so just drop him a line and he'll come to you on a weekend and talk you through the process. Its ?125 for a single will and ?195 for a joint 'mirror will' [email protected]

[dimjim79]

Another recommendation for Nick, all the details above are correct. Nick visited us to arrange for the wills to be prepared. We were aware that you can do this for free online, however with something as important as a will we wanted to ensure this was all done properly. Very pleased with efficiency and effectiveness of the whole process.

[flyer22]

Does anyone have a contact number for Nick? I've sent two emails now and not had any reply.

Many thanks

flyer

[kittysailing]

Hi there - that's strange he has been on holiday but is back now [email protected] his number is 07535015022. He has appointments on weekends in June, July & August.