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The perils of 'DIY' wills

View profile for Amy Nelson
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A judge has ruled that Terri Tibbbles will inherit her father’s £300,000 estate after declaring a ‘DIY’ will allegedly written, and signed, days before his death as invalid.

William Tibbles died in February 2018 leaving 5 children; 4 daughters  (Terri, Kelly, Susan and Cindy) and 1 son (Paul).  Terri had been close to her father and believed she would inherit his estate when he died. The ‘DIY’ will left everything to Kelly, Susan, Cindy and Paul without a mention of Terri.

William Tibbles had a history of instructing solicitors to deal with his personal affairs and in fact prepared a letter of wishes attached to his 2017 Will setting out that his daughters, Susan and Cindy, had been a ‘disappointment’ while his son, Paul, was already financially secure. This evidence was key in the judge’s decision. The judge said ‘there was no real explanation for his change of mind and no evidence about him signing it.’

This case illustrates the importance of instructing a legally trained professional to prepare your Will. It provides peace of mind that all aspects of your circumstances have been considered, correctly identified and recorded whilst also ensuring the people you want to inherit from you, will do.

Not to mention reducing the risk of unnecessary legal costs – I dread to think how much the legal fees were in this case!

The full details can be found here.

If you would like to seek advice on any of the issues mentioned in this article, please contact a member of our Private Client team who will be pleased to assist.

Please note that this information is for guidance only and should not be regarded as a substitute for taking full legal advice on specific facts and circumstances.

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