Solicitors offer bargain wills in charity drive

As part of Will Aid month, starting today, solicitors all over the country are offering to draw up basic wills in exchange for charitable donations.

Throughout November, solicitors are offering their services for suggested donation levels of £75 for a single will, £110 for a pair of matching or mirror wills, and £40 for a codicil (an addition or amendment to an existing will) – less than half the normal cost. Charities such as ActionAid, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Help the Aged and Save the Children will benefit. Participating solicitors can be found at willaid.org.uk. Once drawn up, the wills can then be registered free with the Certainty National Will Register, usually costing £28.75. If the will is ever lost, there will be a record of which solicitor's office holds it.

However, anyone who takes up the Will Aid offer should ensure they have assigned friends or family as executors – or they risk leaving their loved ones paying through the nose when dealing with their estate.

"It is very important that people check the solicitors are not inserting themselves as an executor.," says Adam Walker, director of independent probate broker Final Duties.