Wills, Probate, Trust Design and Structuring

• Why do I need to make a Will
  
• How much will it cost?
  
• I want to make a will NOW
  
  

Conti Advocates can also offer advice and assistance on the following related topics:

• Intestacy (the administration of the estate of a person with assets in the Isle of Man who has died without leaving a will)
  
  
• Full administration of estates service offered. For foreign estates also requiring Manx probate we quote a minimum fee of £500 + VAT and disbursements - average fees for UK Estates where probate has already been obtained are £1100-£1650 + VAT and disbursements
  
  
• Enduring Powers of Attorney, Advance directives
  
  
• Trust design and structuring. For those persons with significant assets who do not necessarily need those assets for their day to day expenditure, we would suggest that you contact us so that we may evaluate your circumstances to see whether a Trust structure could be suitable given your needs and requirements. Trusts can act as a flexible will, protect against the future risks of litigation, bankruptcy, disgruntled family members and can form part of your wider tax mitigation planning.
  

WHY DO YOU NEED TO MAKE A WILL?

Anyone who owns any form of assets in the Isle of Man should consider making a Will. If you do not leave a Will your assets will be divided in a pre-determined order amongst your immediate family without regard to your wishes.

If you live with someone but are not married your partner will have no automatic right to inherit any of your assets.

Marriage automatically cancels a Will made before the marriage unless special terms are included in the Will. Conti Advocates can include such terms in your will to give effect to this, or can prepare a new Will if necessary. Minor alterations to your Will can also be made to your Will in the future by means of a Codicil.

You should make a new Will if you divorce or separate. Whilst we do not practise matrimonial or family law, we can advise on the effect a divorce or legal separation will have on any prior Will. In any event, your Will should be reviewed in light of changes in your financial or family circumstances from time to time.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

We have a standard charge for drafting single person Wills and for matching or "mirror" Wills for use by a couple, in most cases. Please contact us for this. If a Will is particularly complex, we will base our bill upon the amount of time it has taken to draft and execute the Will. We will discuss this with you before undertaking the additional work.

I WANT TO MAKE A WILL NOW!

The Will Questionnaire which follows is designed SOLELY for NON Isle of Man residents who wish to make a subsidiary will to cover assets such as bank accounts, life assurance policies, unit trust entitlement, share ownership etc. If you own land on the Island or are resident here, Conti Advocates can assist you, but would request that you contact us initially by telephone to discuss your wishes.

We would remind those using The Will Questionnaire that THE SENDING OF COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE MADE A WILL - THE ACTUAL DEED MUST BE DRAWN SENT TO YOU FOR SIGNATURE AND BE CORRECTLY SIGNED AND WITNESSED BEFORE A VALID WILL IS IN EXISTENCE.

Nor does the sending of a completed Questionnaire mean that Conti Advocates necessarily accept your request that we draft the Will. In particular if any reply to any question in the questionnaire is missing/incomplete, we cannot draft your Will.

Your contact telephone number/email is requested so that we may discuss any missing/ incomplete answers with you and fee arrangements with you. Once we have received our agreed fees, we shall draft the Will and send a draft to you by email to you for your consideration. Once you have confirmed your approval of the draft, we shall send the final Will to you for execution according to our instructions.

Alternatively, you can telephone us, email us, or write to us with your queries, or can make an appointment to see us in person.