This will is suitable for anyone who is married or in a civil partnership. It will allow you to make as many gifts of money or specific items as you like. You will be able to leave the remainder of your estate after making gifts (i.e. the residuary estate) to as many persons you would like, either in equal shares or in varying percentages. You can also vary how you would like to leave your residuary estate, make provisions for the care of pets and appoint guardians for your children. (Those with spouses/civil partners domiciled outside the UK should note that the normal tax-free allowances do not apply, and we recommend tax advice is sought in these cases.)

This will is designed for someone who is not married or in a civil partnership, whether or not they have a partner and whether or not they have any children. It will allow you to make as many gifts of money or specific items you would like. You will be able to leave the remainder of your estate after making gifts (i.e. the residuary estate) to as many persons you would like, either in equal shares or in varying percentages. You can also vary how you would like to leave your residuary estate, make provisions for the care of pets and appoint guardians for your children.

When making a will in England or Wales you can either use a comprehensive will which leaves things to people outright, or you can leave things to be held in a trust (Discretionary Trust).

A Discretionary Trust will means that you can appoint others (called Trustees) to hold property, or other assets, and manage them on behalf of someone else (the Beneficiary in your Will). You decide who the potential Beneficiaries of this Trust will be, which can include people who are not born yet. Grandchildren, further grandchildren, or children with issues in their life (e.g. addiction) are good examples of situations where the beneficiaries and their circumstances suggest that a Discretionary Trust is preferable. The terms of the Trust empower the Trustees to use their discretion to decide on the Beneficiaries. The Trustees have complete discretion on the matter which is why they are called ‘Discretionary’ Trusts.

A Living will sets out your wishes regarding health care and how you want to be treated if you become seriously ill and unable to make or communicate your own choices. Your wishes can be either that certain treatment should not be provided in specified circumstances (and these wishes can be binding on medical staff), or that you should be treated or cared for in a particular way (these wishes are not binding on medical staff but should be taken into account).

This creates two wills for either a married couple or for two people in a civil partnership with each other. The wills can be created as Mirror wills or as Mutual wills. Mirror wills are wills made by two people in substantially the same terms. In these wills, the married couple/the civil partners provide for each other on the first death and then say what is to happen in the event of the second death, which is the same in both wills. Mutual wills are Mirror wills, but with one crucial additional feature, which is that Mutual wills are based on an agreement that neither of the people making the Mutual wills may later cancel or change their will without the consent of the other person.