Free Online Will - Normally $150 (Law Week 2012)

Related Stores

slatergordon.com.au

• 

  red-hot on 14/05/2012 - 13:40

  +1

  Thank you v. much.

• 

  tsunamisurfer on 14/05/2012 - 13:59

  +35

  'Last year approximately 3000 people took up this offer and a lot of them came from OzBargain.'

  How does one tell if the person writing the will came from ozbargain?

  They are leaving their entire Mertiline collection to their wife and kids.

  • 

    samfisher5986 on 14/05/2012 - 14:02

    +6

    Easiest way would be the referrer from this page, something most web hosts offer in their statistics.

    Its quite cool for Ceilidh to acknowledge the power of ozbargain :)

  • 

    Charlotta on 15/05/2012 - 10:51

    Tsunami - like SamFish I was about to write here a techie response to your question - but then realised that you had already provided the ultimate response.

    Brilliant - love it!

• 

  Lord Fart Bucket on 14/05/2012 - 14:04

  +3

  Thanks…
  It's slow… and near the end it still comes up with a login screen for me.
  I'll try again later in the week.

  • 

    pw2002au on 14/05/2012 - 14:10

    Likewise … good BUT … :)

• 

  Hellfire on 14/05/2012 - 14:15

  Is it no surprise that it suggested I seek legal advice? :P

• 

  movieman on 14/05/2012 - 14:17

  +4

  "it is not very often that a Law Firm gives something away for FREE :)"

  So true…

  And that's why we APPRECIATE you guys for doing it.

  I might actually do a will now! Thanks

  • 

    scud70 on 14/05/2012 - 14:28

    i wonder if there is microscopic print that outlines what "free" actually means… let us know if your homes, lives or souls are repossessed due to the fine print.. hehehehehe (JUST JOKING!! thanks for the service)

• 

  killergreely on 14/05/2012 - 14:28

  +1

  In Queensland you can get a Will drawn up at the Public Trustee's office for free.

  • 

    holofernes on 14/05/2012 - 17:53

    +4

    All the Public Trustees do it. However the deal is usually the same as online will kits — the tradeoff is that they will be appointed as the executor, with a right to extract fees from the estate.

    Unfortunately these types of things benefit least the people who need a will most.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 16/05/2012 - 21:12

      +1

      For some people it could be a good thing to have the public trustee as executor.

      My father died of lung cancer in 2005. He wrote a will and told me where it was in his house. When he lost his mind at the end, his second wife and her mother invented a bunch of lies to tell my uncle about my family & I. (I wasn't around at the end as I had the worst flu I've ever had, and was scared I'd give it to Dad and finish him off!)

      Due to their lies, my uncle (after asking my wife where the will was kept) helps the second wife write a new will - the complete opposite of what my father told everyone for decades he wanted. Every thing was now left to her. Even the second-hand car he'd just bought, when she wasn't allowed to hold a license! It also provided for her son should she die soon afterwards for whatever reason. So what? Well, her dropkick of a son (Dad always called him "The Blonk" to his face) had caused nothing but trouble between them for ~15 years. Dad told everyone how much he HATED this guy's guts, that the only thing he'd leave him would be a syringe filled with battery acid. This fact alone should have told them all her lies were fiction.

      Anyway… Short version (really!) is, Dad dies, I find out someone destroyed his will and they've stolen the lot via a new one that he couldn't even sign, he was so out of his mind on drugs. Other family encourage and push me into fighting it in court. So I give her a chance - I ask her for help - a LOAN for a home deposit for a home for my family, so we can buy the cheapest, nastiest, hovel we can find. She says, "I'd love to help you out, but I won't even have enough to live myself. Your Dad didn't have much."

      Dad had already told us he had at least $150,000 in the bank. But during the legal process we discover she not only gets the $350,000 house - which we knew and agreed with - but $360,000 in cash, still qualified for her full pension, plus gets Carer Allowance for SUPPOSEDLY taking care of her elderly mother (who took care of herself quite well), Dad's car which she immediately sold when legally she shouldn't have, plus my Dad had bought the house from her mother and allowed her to keep living there for free - and - she wasn't long for this earth either! So she was to get at least another $300,000 when she died a few years on.

      We went to court, fought for 3 years, received thousands, but lawyers took thousands too. We wound up with about $70,000 of the cash. She got the home (as she rightly should have) and about the same amount in cash as we did, after paying all her costs. So out of $360,000 the lawyers got $220,000. All because she was so damn greedy, she refused to even LOAN us $20,000. What the selfish cow didn't realise was, when I thought we'd receive all the cash from the first will, I'd planned to give her half!

      The solicitors always said to us: "The costs come out of the estate FIRST - before the judge rules on your settlement." But this is just their dirty, deceptive, legal double-speak. Yeah, costs come out of the estate all right - out the part of "the estate" that YOU receive. In other words, they continually make you think legal expenses come out of the estate and only THEN do you receive the full amount a judge decides. When the opposite is really true.

      My point? Like you just said, Dad always said he didn't want the Public Trustee involved because they would take fees. Somehow I don't think their fees would have been quite as high as $220,000. Neither would they have replaced the original will with a work of fiction to begin with.

      Sorry for the length, I did want to keep it short - but if it saves a family from that sickening stress, or just one person from the suicidal thoughts I nearly lost the fight against, it's worth upsetting a few reading.

      • 

        shaybisc on 17/05/2012 - 09:58

        I don't see how a will held by the Public Trustee would have helped, if there was a later will that revoked it.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 18/05/2012 - 14:11

        I don't see how a will held by the Public Trustee
        would have helped, if there was a later will that
        revoked it.

        It would have helped because a second will can be ruled invalid. Especially one made so close to death, so contradictory and biased when compared to the first, and when all hospice doctors and attending nurses clearly state the person was unable to comprehend what they were signing.

        So had Dad lodged the will with the public trustee (instead of keeping it at home and worrying about their fees)… Then will #1 would still have existed. Will #2 would have certainly been ruled invalid based on written testimony of hospice staff.

        My uncle sneaked the solicitor in behind the back of staff. Solicitors KNOW they are supposed to check with an attending doctor first, but they had nothing to lose. Destroying the first will meant she would get everything anyway. So they only wrote the second one, in an attempt to discourage me from fighting - because they knew they'd done the wrong thing by destroying will #1, and wanted to crush any chance I had.

      • 

        MrZ on 18/05/2012 - 20:25

        What happened to the witnesses of the first will? Why wasn't a copy of the first will kept with a lawyer?

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 19/05/2012 - 15:40

        That was just Dad. Little education, no trust for lawyers, government, rules, etc. The will was the cheapest he could find - a DIY from the newsagent. I don't know who the witness was. But there probably was one (probably her) - because he told me (quietly) one day where he'd put it, saying, "I don't want her to know where it is, in case she does something." Which of course - she did.

        Anyway… I only mentioned it to save someone else going through what I did. Someone (especially a second partner) can promise, "I'll always do what's right by your kids, Darlin'", but they soon toss that act out the window. Better for the public trustee take a few thou$and, than someone find and destroy a will kept at home, so they can do the total opposite of your wishes.

        Side note:

        I personally wouldn't make anyone I knew an executor. If a fight starts, they'll be dragged into a series of court dates, have to deal with property and vehicle valuations, legal documents, banks, superannuation, solicitors, Centrelink - and - put up with garbage from both sides…

        That's assuming the stress doesn't get too much for them, and they just give up and hand it all over to the public trustee anyway. Executors get to estimate and claim their fair expenses from the estate. But I bet many just decide the stress isn't worth it and… abdicate!

        BTW - if anyone doesn't realise… A will is still no guarantee your wishes will be done. First, they say it MAY help to list firm and clear reasons WHY you made the decisions you did. e.g. "I do not want X to receive anything from my estate, because they always mocked my Mr Bean replica vehicle complete with teddy hood ornament, and he revelled in the embarrassment and suffering it caused me." Reasons why MAY give a judge the excuse he needs to be lazy and rule the will stand as is.

        Second, even though only a few people are SUPPOSED to be able to seek provision, anyone can choose to contest a will and cost the estate $$$. At some stage a judge may rule they have no claim and they pay both sides' costs. Or it might be only their own costs. Or that the estate bear all costs. Especially if the will contradicted what I think they call Intestate Rules.

        i.e. A very basic explanation… Last I checked, in NSW if someone dies intestate (without a will), their spouse automatically gets the home. They they also get X amount of any $ (IIRC, it was about $230,000 back when we were going through it). Then the spouse also receives half of whatever was left ABOVE that amount too. Finally, the other half of what remained is divided between any children.

        The (NSW) government/court decided those were fair guidelines. Now things may have changed. But back then, this meant if a will does not provide for that general pattern, the spouse can request a judge rule the will invalid! Then NOTHING mentioned in it will actually occur. A judge gets to decide the lot.

• 

  BuyoTheCat on 14/05/2012 - 14:38

  I did it the last year. At the end of the thing it said that I would get a hard copy of the will, but I never received it.

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 14/05/2012 - 14:49

    +6

    Hi Photonaturally,

    If you want to email me your details to [email protected] I will look into and make sure that you do get your copy of your Will. The main reason this happened last year was when people didnt hit finish on the last page of the interview. If you send me your details I will sort it out for you.

    If any one has any issues or you dont get what you are expecting please let me know.

    Thanks for your feedback

    Steve

• 

  SSJX on 14/05/2012 - 14:51

  Hi Ceilidh; would it be possible for free Testamentary Trust/Will as well?

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 14/05/2012 - 14:55

    +6

    Hi SSJX,

    Unfortunately we cant offer them for free (yet) due to the complexity involved around configuring a Testamentary Trust to cater to an individual.

    We will see if we can get something in place for next year (although I cant promise anything)

    In the mean time if you need one now I would recommend talking to your Lawyer or giving us a call.

    Sorry, I know it's not the answer you were after :)

    regards

    Steve

• 

  shaybisc on 14/05/2012 - 14:58

  "And with a complimentary safe custody facility"

  I feel a bit cheeky even asking; does this apply to the free will? I can draft a will myself, but safe custody is harder.

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 14/05/2012 - 15:01

    +5

    Safe Custody is definitely included.
    When you receive your Will documents, you will also receive instructions on how to use our free Safe Custody service.

  • 

    holofernes on 14/05/2012 - 18:15

    +2

    In most states, you are allowed to deposit the will free of charge with the Registrar of the Supreme Court. In NSW, this is explicitly provided for in s51 of the Succession Act 2006.

    Depositing a will, either with Slater & Gordon or with the Court, is not definitive proof of the priority of wills. That would be something that the court will examine when granting probate.

    • 

      shaybisc on 15/05/2012 - 10:18

      Hmmm, yes, hmmmm. Says on Supreme Court site that there is a $110 fee for deposit of a will, but there are exceptions:
      (a) the will is deposited:
      (i) in accordance with section 16 or 18, or
      (ii) because a local legal practitioner has died, or has ceased, or is about to cease practising law in New South Wales, or
      (b) the fee is waived by the Registrar in accordance with regulations made under the Civil Procedure Act 2005.

      Now lets see. Section 16 and 18- doesn't apply to me.
      Civil Procedure Act 2005- ahhhhhhhhh- can't find anything specific- clear as mud.

      Think I'll stick with S&G

      • 

        shaybisc on 15/05/2012 - 10:27

        +1

        But the default position is:

        51(3) A will that is deposited must be accompanied by the fee prescribed by
        the regulations.

      • 

        holofernes on 15/05/2012 - 14:48

        Ah yeah … looks like the regulation imposed a fee. Ouch.

        Ss 16 or 18 of the Succession Act have to do with wills made through an order of the court for minors or those lacking testamentary capacity.

        The registrar can waive any fees payable to the registrar under the Civil Procedure Regulation 2005.

        Feel free to go with S&G, but like I said, it doesn't stop someone showing up at a probate hearing brandishing a purportedly more recent will.

• 

  batrarobin on 14/05/2012 - 15:12

  +2

  Ceilidh, I think your website is struggling coping up the OzBargainer's traffic ! You guys've "been Ozbargained" !! :)

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 14/05/2012 - 15:14

    +5

    Yep Batrarobin,
    You are right. Currently about 80% of all traffic is coming from OzBargain.
    I was hoping the changes I had made for this year would ease things a little, but you guys never cease to amaze. :)

    I am will try to make a few additional changes overnight to help things along.

• 

  Ace on 14/05/2012 - 15:20

  +4

  I love the sample will - https://online.slatergordon.com.au/sgo/uploadedFiles/eCommLe…

  • 

    irajohn90 on 14/05/2012 - 16:58

    I make the following gifts:
    (a) if he survives me, I give my Mammoth vacuum cleaner to my good friend Archibald
    Slate of 123 Slate Street, Bedrock, Victoria;

• 

  geoffs87 on 14/05/2012 - 16:23

  i dont plan on dying just yet…

  • 

    alecator on 14/05/2012 - 16:33

    +3

    Who does? but if you plan on you estate being divided as per your wishes one of these might not be a bad idea

    • 

      geoffs87 on 14/05/2012 - 17:57

      +1

      All my assets are in Joint Tenancy - Damn business partner gets everything if i go dying - regardless of will (somehow it made more sense at the time of drawing up)

      checks behind him in the office all the time to make sure he's not about to be murdered

      • 

        holofernes on 15/05/2012 - 10:25

        Partnership property belongs to the partnership whatever the legal ownership, and is subject to the rules of dissolution and application of partnership property towards the debts of the firm and then to the share of each partner upon the death of a partner. Partners stand as trustees in relation to each other, so there are stringent remedies when these rules are breached.

        Neither do joint tenancies exclude the property entirely from the estate for all purposes. That's why people consult lawyers for this stuff. It's fairly complex.

  • 

    xotic on 14/05/2012 - 16:51

    +5

    Where there is a will there is a way!

    • 

      UFO on 14/05/2012 - 18:29

      I see what you did there.

    • 

      eurofoti on 14/05/2012 - 22:13

      Where there is a willy there is a way.

    • 

      bargainhuntaa on 17/05/2012 - 21:40

      +1

      Where there is a will, i want to be in it.

  • 

    retiredfeline on 14/05/2012 - 17:43

    +1

    Accidents have a way of making plans irrelevant.

• 

  bozter on 14/05/2012 - 16:48

  who do I leave my wealth to?

• 

  superkieu on 14/05/2012 - 16:55

  hmmm…. nice deal.
  thanks for the freebie O.P

  im still young and hasn't considered this yet.
  but after contemplating for a few minutes, kinda put me on a forward projection trip
  I was imaging myself to be on my last day on earth.
  wow, that put things into perspective
  (many things I normally consider "important" really aren't that significant anymore…..LOL)

  if and when this deal comes into effect, it will be my "last deal ever"

  d(-_-)b

  • 

    UFO on 14/05/2012 - 18:41

    this is why drugs are bad mmk.

• 

  MrZ on 14/05/2012 - 18:12

  +11

  Did anyone else read this as "Free Online Wii" ?

  • 

    UFO on 14/05/2012 - 18:41

    +1

    No, if you are looking for online wii's you've most definitely come to the wrong site.

  • 

    eurofoti on 14/05/2012 - 22:15

    Yes! I've realised I've been gaming too long when I saw it as "Wii" as well. Time to stop playing Xenoblade Chronicles.

• 

  stockpimp on 14/05/2012 - 18:39

  Who wants my credit card debt, and copywrite to all me self portraits

• sambo150 on 14/05/2012 - 19:17 Comment score below threshold.
• 

  Luc on 14/05/2012 - 19:28

  -4

  Comes across as a basic attempt to get your personnel details and get you on their data base and mailing book , like your email, your home address, your age, your gender,your work/home ph number and the icing on the cake is this in the fine print:

  "Slater & Gordon has not checked the accuracy of the legal document generated by S&G Online against the information I have provided. I accept that it is my responsibility to do so."

  As far as the 'Will' goes,you might get more practical use out of toilet paper or a Will Kit from your local Australia Post Office

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 14/05/2012 - 19:49

    +6

    Hi Luc,

    I appreciate your comments and your concerns.
    We actually have valid reasons for requesting the data that you have highlighted.
    We need you age (DOB) as we require you to be over 18 years of age to do the online Will
    We ask for your gender so that we can customise the interview and your Will, particularly if you are in a relationship so we can refer to your partner as he/she, husband/wife/partner(same sex relationships)

    We only request you contact details for inclusion in your Will, for delivery, and if we need to contact you if there is a problem delivering your Will (a lot of people actually mistype their email addresses)
    We do offer a subscription to our email newsletter, however you are not obligated to accept.

    Slater & Gordon do guarantee the legal validity of the Will template, however since we are not involved in actually entering the data, we can not guarantee the data entry (for spelling mistakes or other errors).

    As I said, I do appreciate your comments and I mean this response purely as a clarification as to why we ask for such data.

    regards

    Steve

• 

  rawm on 14/05/2012 - 19:38

  +5

  The site needs a will too, because OzBargain has just killed it.

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 14/05/2012 - 19:52

    +2

    Hi Rawm,

    My job over night is to try and OzBargain proof the site.
    We have actually received about twice the uptake from OzBargain that we got last year…I wasnt quite prepared for that :)

    Thanks

    Steve

• 

  PinzVidz on 14/05/2012 - 20:04

  Awesome, thank you.

• 

  SomeGuyOnOzB on 14/05/2012 - 21:42

  -> Celidh

  Can you do some reassuring here :P

  If the will was executed this year and the family let Slater & Gordon be the appointed erm … whatever it is, what kind of fees would Slater and Gordon charge for their work, if the will is:
  - uncontested
  - contested

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 14/05/2012 - 22:37

    +1

    Hi Foundit,

    Firstly I need to clarify that I am not a legal professional (I look after the IT side of things) so all I can really say is that it truly does depend on the individual circumstances and it is not really something that I could say would cost $X. (Sorry I know that's not the answer you were after)

    However I can point you to this document which is the fee disclosure document that must be read if you want to appoint Slater & Gordon as an executor. (we also include this in your will delivery if you appoint us as executor)

    I hope this goes some way to answering your question.

    regards

    Steve

    • 

      SomeGuyOnOzB on 18/05/2012 - 09:54

      Thanks Celidh

• 

  machej on 14/05/2012 - 23:18

  +5

  LOL, this will kit offer just came up after the Hungry Jacks offer. Coincidence? I think not.

• 

  PlasticSpaceman on 14/05/2012 - 23:29

  Thanks Steve and S&G - the site may have been a little slow, but it did work! Much appreciated. ;-)

• 

  wanderingoz on 15/05/2012 - 08:54

  Thanks S&G. Painlessly done for both myself and my wife this morning. Well done and a great service.

• 

  Pumpkin_rrr on 15/05/2012 - 09:07

  Since it says there is no need to register, I start with the questions but when I finish with Page 3, it takes me to log-in page with username and password. Retried a few times with no success. I have no problem registering but wonder whether there is a glitch to the system??

  • 

    f4te on 15/05/2012 - 09:15

    Same happens to me, except different attempts gets me though to different pages of the form before eventually falling back to the login page.

  • 

    wanderingoz on 15/05/2012 - 09:25

    +1

    Yes I had the same thing, thought it was a bit arse-about. I did register and then completed ok.

    • 

      Pumpkin_rrr on 15/05/2012 - 10:09

      I am trying to register now.
      It asked if I am "a member or have a discount Code"?

      • 

        wanderingoz on 15/05/2012 - 10:39

        I was not a member & did not have a code. Had to register first then it progressed to making the will. You do get an invoice sent to you with the will but it is for $0.00.

• 

  amsaini15 on 15/05/2012 - 10:49

  Can somebody please clarify this whole 'Will' thing work for a Noobie like me. So we get free will from Slater Gordon and then nominate some solicitor for executing it when I am dead. Is that right? I guess my wife will need separate Will for herself? Any more information from somebody with Law background or the Rep Ceilidh would be appreciated.

  • 

    shaybisc on 15/05/2012 - 11:15

    You can make any adult who is willing and isn't mad or bad the executor of your estate: friend, relative: doesn't have to be lawyers: someone you trust and is competent to administer your estate. If your will is complex it can be an onerous task, perhaps best left to a professional.

  • 

    shaybisc on 15/05/2012 - 11:32

    "A joint will occurs when two or more persons incorporate their testamentary wishes in the one document. This should be avoided if at all possible …" (Ken Mackie, Principles of Australian Succession Law, 2007,36.)

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 15/05/2012 - 11:47

    Hi Amsani15,

    The two answers above are on the money.
    I am also a IT person and not a lawyer so I am unable to give legal advice.
    However what I can recommend is that you take a look at the FAQs on the site, they answer pretty much every question that has been asked so far.

    regards

    Steve

  • 

    retiredfeline on 15/05/2012 - 15:45

    And remember you'd want the witnesses and executor(s) to be younger than you to have a better chance of surviving you.

• 

  hudalton on 15/05/2012 - 12:55

  Hi Steve, I am doing my online Will now and I have a question. I have three children but it only asks for the names of two of them. How do I include my third child?

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 15/05/2012 - 13:21

    +2

    Hi Hudalton,

    I think you may have actually made a mistake right back at the start of the interview process in the initial Self Assessment interview. There is a question on the "Children" page that asks how many children you have. This answer is used to configure the Will interview with the correct amount of Children.

    Unfortunately there is no way to effectively resolve this apart from starting a new interview. Given that you are currently logged in, the easiest way to start the interview is from the menu on the left hand side of your home page.

    I apologise for this inconvenience.

    kind regards

    Steve

• 

  hoxygt on 15/05/2012 - 12:56

  +6

  +1 to Steve for being the most receptive, communicative and positive rep ever - well done. Great bargain and a needy reminder for so many of us :)

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 15/05/2012 - 13:25

    +3

    blushing

• 

  Paklog on 15/05/2012 - 15:16

  -1

  • Hi Ceilidh, attempted several times to complete a basic and straightforward will only to be told to make an appointment with S & G. Left with the impression that this is nothing more than trolling for business???
  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 15/05/2012 - 15:37

    +5

    Hi Paklog,

    I do understand your frustration and I would be lying if I didn't say we would love to have your business. However, we don't actually say you need to make an appointment. What we are trying to do is make sure that you don't produce a Will which could be easily contested or have other negative implications (such as tax). If your circumstances are deemed to be "complex", you are presented with a report on screen explaining why we think your circumstances are complex and you can elect to have that report emailed to you (which you can then take to any lawyer like, not necessarily Slater & Gordon). Only after all of that do we ask, "Would you like a free, no obligation appointment with a solicitor", to which you can say "NO".

    Once again, I do appreciate your feedback, and yes you are right, we would love to have you as a client…however, the choice is most definitely yours.

    kind regards

    Steve

• 

  wickedcherub on 15/05/2012 - 21:58

  I'm partway through this but I have a question: if I need to amend the will, for example, I'm pregnant, therefore I'm going to have a new beneficiary very soon, how will I go about doing that?

• 

  AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 15/05/2012 - 22:17

  Hi wickedcherub,
  If you chose the option for "future children" you will actually be covered.
  However you can log back in and go back into the interview later.
  It does lock itself after 3 months, but just email support and I will unlock it for you.

  Hope that helps
  Good luck with your impending life changes

  Steve

• 

  nhutty on 16/05/2012 - 11:25

  I have a question,

  I have completed this will (great offer by the way). Once I have sign it in front of two witnesses does that make it binding? Or does it have to be signed off by a solicitor for it to be binding?

  Regards

  David

  • 

    AssociatedCeilidh @ slatergordon.com.au on 16/05/2012 - 12:04

    Hi David,

    All of the details you require should be covered off in the "READ_FIRST_IMPORTANT_INSTRUCTIONS.pdf". You should not need to involve a lawyer.

    kind regards

    Steve

• 

  PcisT on 16/05/2012 - 22:05

  Thanks for the great offer. Just want to know - is it possible to edit the will online after completion. And if so, can this be done at anytime? Cheers

  Edit: I have found out myself you can edit the will within 7 days. After that, there may be a charge.

• 

  SomeGuyOnOzB on 18/05/2012 - 10:58

  +3

  I'm not a lawyer. I've seen a few wills being contested (all of which were written by lawyers) and have a few thoughts for people to consider. I also apologise if it doesn't apply to the Slater & Gordon free will (if the will already gets you to write down whys)

  1. You'll have reasons for leaving things to different people. Write those down and include it in the will.
  2. There may be people you do not want to get things from you. Mention that and they why and put it in the will as well.
  3. There may be people or groups you just have contact with but have no intention and reason to leave them anything. Write that down and put that in the will too.

  ---

  One case I saw, a distant and hated relative fabricated claims they spent much time with the deceased and were very close to the deceased and so they launched a challenge using a no win no fee lawyer.

  The will and claim were brought before a judge to consider, should this proceed to court. At this stage, it is not being heard in court.

  The judge looked at the lengthy statement by the claimant (distant and hated relative) and then looked at the will. The judge only saw distribution in the will (who gets what) and not why. The judge then said, the case could proceed to court to be sorted out.

  Even though the lawyer for the deceased, had interviewed the deceased and recorded the reasons why different assets were going to different people (and even why that relative was not to get a cent) at that stage, the judge only looked at the claimant's statement and the will.

  The next stage then becomes extremely expensive for the parties involved in the will. (The claimant was a bit in the dark about what expenses they were really facing, with a no win no fee lawyer :S)

  ---

  So, if you are making a will, with a lawyer or without one, please consider putting in your will why you are leaving things to various people and why you are not leaving things to anyone else.

  Also, make sure it's in your will. Don't rely on a lawyer or administrative staff to included it at a later point. They can be pretty busy and can forget to do things despite repeated reminders :S (I've seen that happen too … )

  • 

    team teri on 19/05/2012 - 18:44

    Wow, thanks for sharing this. What a strange society we live in…

• 

  dammit on 18/05/2012 - 20:20

  Sounds like a great offer. Can I set up the will so that a certain person is executor but if that person is dead/not around when I die that it is then managed by S&G?

  Once I finish online, print it and sign it with witnesses, do I then store it in my home or can I then mail it to S&G to hold in Safe Custody (for free) and keep a copy at home or how do I store it/keep it safe?

  Is there a provision in the online will that deals with pets, like what is to happen with your family pets when you die?