If a will was validly executed 40 years ago, it’s still valid. But it is unlikely to have improved with age. An extremely old will is probably completely out of date—by the time of death, the person who wrote it probably had a different house, different bank accounts, and maybe even a different spouse and children.
Do lawyers keep original wills?
A lot of attorneys offer to keep the original wills they prepare for their clients, at no charge. They do this so they can probate the estates of their clients. There are good reasons to let your attorney keep your original wills. If your wills are in your attorney’s safe, you do not have to worry about losing them.
How long are wills valid for?
You should review your will every five years and after any major change in your life such as a new grandchild or moving house. Never make alterations on the original document.
Who is the solicitor for my father’s will?
Christopher McNeill, solicitor with Anthony Gold and expert in wills, trusts and probate, replies: The first point is that if your father has held joint property with your stepmother that could have passed to her automatically anyway, irrespective of anything in his will.
Do you need a copy of your father’s will?
It cannot be assumed that your stepmother had made a will in the same terms as your father, but if her estate is to be disputed then in those proceedings you could call for a copy of any earlier will and of the instructions file the solicitors opened at the time.
Who was named joint executor of my father’s will?
He had remarried and his second wife has now died leaving everything to her two sons from her first marriage. It has emerged that solicitors are holding my father’s will and I was named as joint executor with my stepmother. I was never informed about this and it came as a shock.
Why was my father’s half of the will revoked?
His second wife has revoked her half of what was obviously a pair of mirror wills as the date on her will is two years after my father’s death. This now clearly gives an uneven distribution of the estate.
