What is a Mirror Will?
In England and Wales, Mirror Wills are commonly used by married and unmarried couples who have similar wishes about what should be written in their Wills.
Mirror Wills are two separate legal documents but the wishes are often similar.
A simple example of these would be that one party leaves the whole estate to their surviving partner, and when the survivor dies the estate is passed to their children in equal shares.
Is a Mirror Will my best option?
If your wishes are broadly the same then this is your best option. If you want different things then two single Wills would be better. Our Consultant will discuss this with and make a recommendation based on your wishes.
What are the advantages of Mirror Wills?
You can set out legally what your wishes are and potentially prevent your family or loved ones from suffering distress for months or even years if there were to be confusion or complexities caused by not having a valid Will.
If you die without a Will in place in England or Wales, this is called dying Intestate. The Rules of Intestacy would then apply meaning that the law will decide who inherits your estate, for example, who gets your property, car, financial assets, your possessions and even your pets.
If you die with no Will and you have no living family members entitled under the Intestacy Rules then the Crown will get everything.
Are there any disadvantages to having Mirror Wills?
After Mirror Wills have been written, either person can subsequently change or update their Will without the other person knowing. The same applies after the death of one person, since there is no obligation for the surviving person to keep their original Mirror Will. It is therefore essential that you take the right advice and guidance when considering putting your Mirror Wills in place.
To assist you in understanding what could happen to your estate, and how to mitigate this, our consultant will advise you of your choices in such things as Trusts, both those created by your Will and those created during your lifetime.