Wills
We have extensive experience in helping individuals and families structure their Wills and guiding them through the range of planning issues which may arise. We often use Wills as part of a wider planning strategy but for many people, a standalone Will is sufficient. We do not believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach and all the Wills we create for our clients are bespoke to your needs.
Our approach
We offer a pragmatic, plain speaking approach and deliver our advice in plain English. Our approach is to keep matters as simple as possible while ensuring that your wishes are met and all risks have been taken into account. We will always advise you of any risks that could cause your wishes to not take effect (for example through claims against your estate) or cause the inheritance to be reduced (for example through Inheritance Tax). By using our expertise, we keep it as straightforward for you as possible.
We pride ourselves on offering a personalised service and we put you at the centre of everything we do. You will be allocated your own solicitor who will work with you to guide you through the Will creation process from start to finish and where possible they will also act for you whenever you instruct Spall Clark Solicitors. All of our Will writing solicitors are full members of STEP and are specialists in this area of law.
We are based in Congleton and act for clients in Cheshire, North West England and beyond.
We can meet you at your home, our office in Congleton, your office or any other location to suit you. We also offer meetings by online video (such as Zoom, Skype and Teams) or by telephone.
Specialist Will writing services
Wills for Business Owners
We offer a bespoke Will writing service for business owners. Our role involves advising on Wills including structuring Wills to take into account Inheritance Tax reliefs such as Business Property Relief. Business protection matters such as cross option agreements also needs to be reviewed as part of the process.
We offer a personal approach and we put you and your family at the centre of everything we do. We will work with your established team of advisors (such as your corporate / commercial solicitor) to create your personal estate plan.
Please visit our business owner services page for more information about the services we offer to owner managed businesses.
Key contact: Paul ClarkTEP
Cross Border Wills
We have an in-depth knowledge of providing advice to clients with international links. We mainly act for UK domiciled individuals with families living abroad, holiday homes abroad or off-shore assets but can also offer advice to non-domiciled individuals with assets in England.
Our managing director Paul ClarkTEP is a member of the Law Society Private Client Section Advisory Committee and assists the Law Society with organising the annual cross border conference. He is also a member of STEP which is a leading worldwide organisation for solicitors specialising in this area of law.
We are specialists in advising on English law and we have extensive experience of working with foreign lawyers in relation to cross border estate planning. We offer advice on specific English law issues such as Will drafting and Inheritance tax planning, and can either work with your existing lawyers or recommend foreign lawyers to advise on legal issues in their respective jurisdiction.
We can meet you at your home, your office or our office in Congleton. We also offer meetings by Microsoft Teams or by telephone.
Key contact: Paul ClarkTEP
Wills for Vulnerable people
Our solicitors have many years of experience in preparing Wills for vulnerable people such as adults with learning disabilities and people diagnosed with dementia. We recognise that different people have different support needs and we offer a personal and sensitive approach to Will making. We provide our advice in jargon free plain English to make the process straightforward as possible.
As solicitors, we assess a person’s mental capacity to make a Will (known as ‘testamentary capacity’) and in certain circumstances it may be necessary to obtain a formal report from a medical professional. Should a separate capacity assessment be required, we are able to arrange this as part of the process.
Key contact: Sarah BushellTEP
Wills for High Net Worth Individuals and Couples
We offer a personalised bespoke service for high net worth individuals with net assets between £2m and £4m. We offer advice on Inheritance Tax planning using asset protection trusts in Wills and we also advise on how to reduce the risk of any potential challenges to your Will. We will work with your established team of advisors (such as your financial advisor and account) to create a personal estate plan to achieve your goals.
Key contact: Sarah BushellTEP
Recommended guides
Wills, Succession Planning, Inheritance Tax
Contact us
Make an appointment
For urgent wills contact Paul ClarkTEP
Further information
Our process
Step 1: Initial meeting
During our initial meeting we will discuss your aims and wishes. We will review your personal circumstances and inform you of your Inheritance Tax position. We will advise you if there are any alternative ways of structuring your Will to meet your wishes and limit or avoid any identified risks.
Our initial meeting can be at your home, our office, online video or by telephone.
Step 2: Confirming your instructions
We will provide you with a summary of your instructions (in plain English) and provide you with our engagement documents which confirm the cost and estimated timeframe for completion.
We can provide the documents to you by post or via our online portal, whichever you prefer. We use a secure online portal to ensure your personal information is kept safe.
Step 3: Reviewing the draft Will
Once you have confirmed your instructions, we will provide you with a draft Will along with a plain English version for you to review. We can meet with you to review the documents or provide them to you by post or via our online portal, whichever you prefer.
Step 4: Signing the Will
Once you have approved the draft Will, we will prepare the final versions and meet with you to sign the Will. Two independent people are required to witness your Will and we can provide both witnesses. Alternatively if you prefer to sign your Will at home, we can send the final version to you with full signing instructions.
Step 5: Finalisation
Once your Will has been signed, we will discuss where you can keep your original Will. There any several options including keeping the Will at our office at no cost to you. If you decide to keep your Will at our office, we will provide you with a folder containing a copy of your Will and other important documents.
How much does it cost to write a Will
For an individual person our costs are:
Initial meeting
No charge
Codicils (amendments to Wills)
From £345 plus £69 VAT (total £414)
Wills without trusts
From £445 plus £89 VAT (total £534)
Wills with asset protection trusts
From £645 plus £129 VAT (total of £774)
Bespoke Wills
From £995 plus £199 VAT (total £1,194)
For details of costs for couples and cross border Wills, please see our price list
How long does it take to make a will
In most cases, it usually takes between two and four weeks to complete your Will. However, in urgent cases we can complete the process much more quickly if required.
What our clients say
‘My Will was drawn up to my exact requirements’
‘You made it so easy for me’
‘Knowledge and feedback regarding our concerns on our matter was outstanding’
‘Paul made us feel at ease all the way through’
‘Explained what I needed to know when making my Will’
‘An enjoyable experience’