Professional Will Writers
Passionate about service
At Hawthorne Wills Ltd we carry out Last Wills and Testaments and Lasting Powers of Attorney. We provide an honest, flexible, transparent and trustworthy service that always has our client’s best interests at heart.
What we do
Last Will & Testament
A Will is a legal document that controls where your assets go after your death.
Your assets could be your property, ISAs, shares, bonds, money in your bank or building society.
Importantly for those with young families, your Will can cover naming guardians for any children under 18 years old if anything were to happen to you and your partner.
If you do not have a Will the rules of intestacy will apply. This does vary depending on your personal situation so please get in touch to discuss should you wish to find out more.
Document Storage
It is important that your Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and other legal documents are stored securely and safely, with quick and reliable access when documents need to be retrieved. Documents stored at home can be subject to damage from fire, flooding or simply being misplaced.
We provide safe and secure document storage, via an independent national archive storage facility. You can retrieve these documents at any time and we provide you with a card that will alert family members to their whereabouts.
This service gives you and your loved ones the reassurance that your documents will be available when they are required.
Trusts
Trusts are used in Wills to protect assets and to plan for future inheritance.
At Hawthorne Wills Ltd we use Will based Trusts including:
- Property Protection/Life Interest Trust
- Discretionary/Vulnerable Person Trust
- Flexible Life Interest Trust
Property Protection/Life Interest Trust
Property Protection/Life Interest Trusts can be used to protect property/assets from sideways disinheritance. When the first partner/owner dies, their share is placed in Trust and the remaining partner can stay in the property or use income from the asset or property. Once the second partner dies the asset will pass to the beneficiaries.
Discretionary Trust
A Discretionary Trust is activated on death and has a life span of 125 years. Assets within the Discretionary Trust can be protected from beneficiaries who subsequently divorce or become bankrupt.
Vulnerable Person Trust
Vulnerable Person Trust is similar to Discretionary Trust for the protection of assets. The benefit of a Vulnerable Person Trust is the assets in Trust will not be considered part of their means test benefit.
Flexible Life Interest Trust
A Flexible Life Interest Trust combines both a Property Protection Trust and a Discretionary Trust. Once the Property Protection Trust closes, the assets form a Discretionary Trust.
As part of your Will consultation, Hawthorne Wills will assess your needs and discuss the pros and cons of any Trust that could be of benefit when considering the distribution of your estate.
Lasting Power of Attorney
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that grants your chosen person(s) the ability to act for you, if you were to lose capacity. Capacity is defined as being able to make decisions yourself, where you would need to understand, retain and consider information to make that decision.
Your attorney(s) could be a partner, family member, close friend or even in some circumstances a professional attorney.
There are two different types of LPAs:
- Health and Welfare
- Property & Financial Affairs
Health and Welfare
- Your day to day care including diet and dress
- Consent or refuse medical examinations, dental or optical treatment
- Can deal with any complaints about your care or treatment
Property and Financial Affairs
- Buying or selling your property
- Opening, closing or operating your bank, building society or other accounts
- Claim, receive and use (on your behalf) all benefits and pensions (unless the Department for Work & Pensions has already appointed someone)
- Insure, maintain and repair your property
LPAs are registered with the Office of Public Guardian (OPG).
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