Where there is a marriage, there should be a new Will

Marriage is one of the life events that greatly affects a person’s individual circumstances. There is more to marriage than simply exchanging rings, vows of love and affection and popping a few bottles of champagne. Marriage also entails a whole lot of ‘administrative chores’ that spouses will need to carry out to reflect this important change in their relationship status which can range from changing the names on their passports to updating their Wills.

For many people who have recently said ‘yes’ to their partner, the thought of how marriage would impact the distribution of their estate after they die would be an unpleasant one.  However, ensuring that a person’s Will reflects the change in their circumstances following, for example, getting married could save the spouses and other family members a lot of the complications and hassle that an outdated Will might entail in the event of the death of one of the spouses.

Under the current law, if you have made a Will and subsequently marry, marriage will automatically invalidate the terms of your existing Will. This means that you do not have a valid Will anymore following the marriage and you will need to make a new Will in order to ensure that your estate is distributed according to your wishes. For example, you would almost certainly want to make provisions for your new spouse in your Will so it is important that your Will is up to date.

It takes two to marry and two Wills to bequeath, get in touch with us at yoanna@kleymansolicitors.com and we would be delighted to assist you with the drafting or amending of your Wills.