Mirror Wills

A Will must be in writing and signed by the person making it, who must be 18 or over, understand what they are doing and be acting freely. They must sign (or acknowledge their signature) in front of two witnesses who are both present at the same time, and each witness must then sign in their presence. We send clear signing instructions with your documents.

Witnesses should be independent adults who can see you sign. A person who benefits from your Will — or their husband, wife or civil partner — should not be a witness, because a gift to them could fail.

The law decides who inherits, using what are called the intestacy rules. This may not match your wishes — for example, unmarried partners do not automatically inherit. A Will lets you decide who inherits, who sorts things out, and who would look after children under 18.

In England and Wales, marriage or civil partnership usually cancels an existing Will, unless the Will was made with that marriage in mind. Divorce or dissolution does not cancel a Will, but changes how gifts to a former spouse or civil partner are treated. It is a good idea to review your Will after any major life event.

Mirror Wills are two separate Wills — one for each partner — with matching wishes. Usually each partner leaves everything to the other, and then to the same people after both have died. Each person can still change their own Will later.

Keep the signed original somewhere safe and dry, and tell your executors where it is. Do not staple anything to it or take it apart, as that can raise questions about whether it has been altered.