Taking a professional approach

When it comes to legal matters, always use a professional. Poorly drafted or ineffective DIY wills are to blame for a prolonged probate ordeal for 38,000 families every year.

Margaret and John King Musselburgh

FOR almost 20 years, Margaret King and her husband John have lived with and looked after her brother Graham, who was born with cerebral palsy.

Now all in their 70s, Margaret decided it was time to update her will and arrange Powers of Attorney for everyone, should anything happen.

The family, from Musselburgh, East Lothian, contacted ILAWS, who arranged for someone to come out to the house to make it easier for Margaret.

She explained that it had been almost two decades since she first made a will, following the death of her parents, when she sold their home and took over the care of Graham.

But in the intervening years, circumstances have changed – and savings have been dipped into – so it made sense to have a new will that better reflected her current circumstances.

Margaret’s priority is that Graham should always have a safe home and that he’s looked after. So the new will states that John and Graham both live in the family home until the end of their days.

“The original will was no longer practical, so I rethought what I wanted and decided to make some changes,” says Margaret.

“At the same time, we were advised to each arrange Power of Attorney in case we ever had to make decisions for each other.

“My brother is handicapped but he can still make all his own decisions and knows everything that’s going on, so the Powers of Attorney give us all the ability to make decisions for each other.”

Margaret has two children in their 50s – and 10 grandchildren – who will ultimately benefit in the will one day.

It was helpful that ILAWS were able to visit Margaret in her own home and they also arranged for a solicitor, necessary when arranging a PoA.

“It was very important to me that everything was sorted out and now I’ve got peace of mind,” she says.