Will you make a New Year resolution?

We look at the importance of making sure you have a Will in place.

Despite countless articles about the need to make a Will it is a constant struggle for solicitors to persuade clients to make them.

It is partly that none of us like to talk about death (particularly our own) but, also, making a Will is one of those things that feels as though it can always be put off to another day.

It is quite common for clients who have been considering making a Will finally to be prompted to do so when somebody they know has died, when they have suffered an illness themselves or immediately before going on holiday. Even though, taking the world as a whole, you are statistically more likely to be kicked to death by a donkey than to die in an air crash.

In fact, when we make a Will for a client we are not simply selling a legal document, we are providing peace of mind.

We buy insurance in order to protect our property and family in case something happens. We should treat making a Will in the same way.

If disaster strikes those we leave behind will be provided for. We live in an uncertain world and none of us can be sure what is around the corner. It is best if we are prepared.

According to recent accident statistics:

• On average, three people die in the UK every year after testing a 9-volt battery on their tongue;
• About 31 people die in the UK every year after watering the Christmas tree while the fairy lights are switched on;
• 150 people are killed every year by being hit on the head by falling coconuts (admittedly probably not in the UK);
• Several thousand people require hospital treatment every year in the United States after accidents involving their trousers;
• Several thousand more people require hospital treatment after accidents involving their duvets;
• Worst of all around 1500 people each year require hospital treatment in the United States after answering the telephone while ironing and putting the wrong hand to their ear.

The message is that given the obvious risk of death by the duvet you really should our Personal law team today.