As a Wills and Probate Solicitor, my work takes various shapes and sizes and I am here to help clients at all stages of their lives. This varies from the happy occasions such as updating Wills when couples get married or have children, to the harder times such as assisting vulnerable clients or grieving clients. Without a doubt there are tough times that everyone experiences in this area of law but it is my job to make the legal side of things as smooth as possible.

Obviously one of the hardest topics I have to discuss with clients is losing capacity and their passing. Sometimes this might seem a long way off, other times it could be fast approaching. It is not always an easy topic but unfortunately it is a necessary evil at times.

Next week is Dying Matters Awareness Week which is run by Hospice UK. This encourages people across the country to start to talk about some of the tougher topics involved around end of life, from what happens when the time comes to how to cope and grieve for loved ones. Nothing can ever replace lost loved ones but talking about it often can really help.

The Dying Matters campaign encourages individuals to look to these topics and their website https://www.hospiceuk.org/our-campaigns/dying-matters provides a whole host different resources, ideas and stories which can help start a conversation about the matter.

These topics are something that we always have to raise with clients from a legal perspective. When making Wills we have to discuss how an individual wants their estates to pass, who benefits from it and who administers it for them. Whilst with Lasting Powers of Attorney we discuss with clients the possibility of them losing capacity and then who they wish to make decisions on their behalf when they cannot do so themselves. At times this can also follow into what sort of treatments and care they might want to have if circumstances dictated.  Although these are topics that most do not wish to think about, they do need to be discussed at times.

Further information about the Dying Matters Awareness campaign can be found at https://www.hospiceuk.org/our-campaigns/dying-matters

If you, or anyone else you know, has any questions about Wills or Lasting Powers of Attorney or wishes to put these in place then please do get in touch. To contact us call 01206 835261 or email [email protected]