Wills kit vs solicitor

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Troubadour

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Depends on if you have a potentially complicated estate or beneficiaries. If its just you, minimal assets and leaving it all to mum and dad maybe a DIY would suffice. Anything more than that see a lawyer to ensure everything goes where you intend it too. They'll be far more likely to ensure protection than a DIY
 
Dec 7, 2000
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Solicitor to whom I send my clients says "we don't make money writing Wills, we make it by challenging them".
Get it done properly, along with Powers of Attorney, and you'll save your beneficiaries potential headaches at a time when they would rather not be focusing on such things.
 

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jo172

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Home made wills are a curse. Occasionally where the assets of a testator are limited and where the beneficiaries are not in dispute no difficulties may arise in the administration of an estate. Flaws in the will can be glossed over and the interests of all parties can be reconciled. But where, as here, the estate of the deceased is substantial, the will is opaque and there is no agreement among the beneficiaries, the inevitable result is an expensive legal battle which is unlikely to satisfy everyone. All of this could have been avoided if the testator had consulted a lawyer and signed off on a will which reflected his wishes. There is no question but that engaging the services of a properly qualified and experienced lawyer to draft a will is money well spent.

This is one Supreme Court Judge's recorded view
 
Depends on if you have a potentially complicated estate or beneficiaries. If its just you, minimal assets and leaving it all to mum and dad maybe a DIY would suffice. Anything more than that see a lawyer to ensure everything goes where you intend it too. They'll be far more likely to ensure protection than a DIY
Still absolutely no guarantee anything will go where you want it too.
Wills are no better than footy contracts...
Made to be contested by lawyers.
 

checkraiseulite

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especially considering the costs of the challenge invariably come out of the estate, so it's looked at as worth shaking it down in a lot of cases.
 

Rohan25

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Qsaint

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Depends on if you have a potentially complicated estate or beneficiaries. If its just you, minimal assets and leaving it all to mum and dad maybe a DIY would suffice. Anything more than that see a lawyer to ensure everything goes where you intend it too. They'll be far more likely to ensure protection than a DIY

Yup and I would add, if you have a partner and kids as long as you leave everything more or less equally it should be ok. If you want to leave every to the local dogs home get a lawyer.
 

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Aug 14, 2001
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It's a bit like 'tooth removal: should I use a dentist or pliers'.

The only reason solicitors practicing in litigation have jobs is because people try to take shortcuts, particularly with contracts and with wills, and do it themselves. For the sake of a few hundred dollars (and if your affairs are simple that's all it will be) I really don't know why anyone would consider a will kit.
 

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