Originally published: 6 December 2021 | Last updated: 26 March 2026
TL;DR: Helping Parents Write Their Will
LegalWills exists because I co-founded the company yet my parents never updated their original Will from their lifetime. I show the exact procedure which helped them complete their Wills online within 30 minutes for each document while spending less than 100 pounds to create two separate Wills. The procedure involved selecting Executors and guardians and creating specific bequests before completing the official document signing process through proper witnessing methods.
Why Did My Parents Not Have a Will?
I am one of the co-founders of LegalWills. Over the past two decades Henry Raud and I Tim Hewson have assisted more than 500,000 people to create their Wills through our developed tools. My parents revealed to me during their visit to the UK that they did not possess a current Will.
The same explanation emerged from their side: “It will be alright, it is obvious what will happen anyway. The property will move between family members until it reaches our two children who will receive everything.” The majority of people fail to grasp this concept correctly. The process of asset distribution to correct beneficiaries will happen eventually but having a Will document simplifies everything while preventing expensive legal fees which happen when people die without making a Will.
How Did I Help My Parents Write Their Wills?
I worked with each parent separately to create their Wills through LegalWills.co.uk. Each Will required about 20 minutes to complete while users paid under 50 pounds for the service. We followed a step-by-step procedure to complete our task.
Step 1: Personal Information
Our first step involved collecting basic information which included legal name and current address and birth date and marriage status. The document contains two essential pieces of information which show who made the Will and it serves as the basic structure for this document.
Step 2: Appointing an Executor
The Will requires this decision to become its most crucial element. The Executor must follow every instruction from the Will which includes both the probate application process and asset distribution responsibilities. We discussed who would be the most appropriate person and named a backup Executor in case the first choice was unable to act. Understanding the full scope of Executor duties helped inform this decision.
Step 3: Guardians for Dependants
The document contains vital information which protects children who still need guardians even though my parents have reached adulthood. The court will decide who should take care of your children when you create a guardian designation in your Will instead of following your personal wishes.
Step 4: Specific Bequests
My parents wanted to leave specific gifts, both sentimental items and monetary amounts, to particular people. The section lets you select particular beneficiaries while you can define their specific inheritance portions. For example:
A specific sum of money to a grandchild
A piece of jewellery to a particular family member
A donation to a favourite charity
Step 5: Distributing the Residuary Estate
After specific bequests, the remainder of the estate (the “residuary estate”) must be distributed. My parents chose a straightforward approach:
The surviving spouse would obtain all assets when one parent outlived the other
The two children would receive equal shares of the remaining estate if both parents passed away
The platform enables users to create complicated organizational systems. A lifetime interest trust allows you to create a trust which gives surviving spouses who lack biological connection to children the ability to use estate assets until their death at which point the assets transfer to the children. The platform brings essential value to families which do not follow traditional family structures.
Step 6: Recording Assets with MyLifeLocker
You do not need a complete list of assets to write your Will. The Executor needs to see a complete asset list because they must collect all estate assets. LegalWills.co.uk offers the MyLifeLocker service for this purpose.
We strongly recommend sitting down with your parents to work through an asset inventory. Recording details of bank accounts, investments, property, insurance policies, pensions, and digital assets while your parents can provide input is far easier than trying to reconstruct this information after they have passed away.
Step 7: Signing and Witnessing the Will
The document became ready when we finished the Will so we downloaded it before printing the document. The final and most critical step was proper signing and witnessing:
Each parent signed their own Will in the presence of two independent witnesses
Both witnesses were present at the same time
Both witnesses then signed the Will in the presence of the testator
The witnesses were not beneficiaries of either Will
We found neighbors to serve as witnesses who met our requirement of being unrelated to the Wills and being above 18 years old. The entire signing process took less than 5 minutes.
How Much Did It Cost?
The total cost for both parents’ Wills was just under 100 pounds, approximately 50 pounds each. Compare this to typical solicitor fees:
Method
Cost per Will
Time Required
Convenience
LegalWills.co.uk
49.95 pounds
20 minutes
Complete from home
High street solicitor
150-400 pounds
1-3 weeks
Office visits required
DIY Will kit
10-30 pounds
1-2 hours
High risk of errors
What Are the Key Lessons From This Experience?
People tend to delay making Wills even though they understand why these documents hold value. I would sit down with them because this approach helps older people manage their overwhelm during the process.
The service operates at a speed which exceeds what people expect because it delivers results in 20 minutes through its online platform. Signing requires proper execution with two independent witnesses who must appear together at the same time. The Executor needs to manage assets by keeping them separate because a Will does not need to list every asset but an asset inventory proves essential for their work. People who subscribe to the LegalWills.co.uk KeyHolder plan get free unlimited Will updates through their service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I write a Will for my parents?
People need to create their own Will documents because they must prove their capability to make decisions which affect death matters. They need to recognize their tasks while they should decide independently about their actions. You can sit with them through the process of online service navigation while you guide them through the steps. You cannot make decisions on their behalf, even if you hold a Lasting Power of Attorney.
What if my parents want identical Wills?
Many couples want mirror Wills, matching documents with reciprocal provisions. Every parent requires an individual Will document which they must sign and have someone else witness. The LegalWills.co.uk service enables users to create mirror Wills through an easy process.
How do I convince reluctant parents to write a Will?
The practical advantages of a Will function to simplify matters for children while preventing intestacy problems and making sure parents’ directives receive proper execution. I would sit down with them to show them that the entire process needs only twenty minutes to complete. The initial step stands as the most difficult obstacle which blocks our path to progress.
He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets and has contributed to articles in most leading publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books.
Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.
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