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Wills · 8 min read · Published

Do you need a solicitor to make a will?

You can legally write your own will. This guide explains when a DIY or online will is fine and when it is risky. It also says what a solicitor actually adds.

By Aaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP, a solicitor in Bridlington who writes every guide himself.

This guide is general information about the law of England and Wales, not legal advice. Each case is assessed on its own merits.

Guides · Wills · No. 7 of 18Published · 8 minutes

Strictly, no. You do not need a solicitor to make a will. A will written on the back of an envelope can be legally valid if it meets the signing rules. But "legally valid" and "does what you intended" are two different things. The gap between them is where families come unstuck.

This guide says when a simple DIY or online will is reasonable and when it is a false economy. It also says what a solicitor adds for the price.

When a DIY or online will might be fine

There are situations where a simple will, carefully done, can be enough:

  • You are single, with no children and a modest, uncomplicated estate
  • You want to leave everything to one person and there is no realistic chance of a dispute
  • You have no property to protect, no business and no inheritance tax exposure

Even then, the signing and witnessing rules must be followed exactly, or the whole will fails. That one technical requirement is where many home-made wills go wrong.

When you should use a solicitor

Speak to a solicitor if any of the following apply:

  • You own a property. Especially if you want to ring-fence it for your children, or are worried about care fees. A will cannot protect your home from your own care fees. A life interest trust in your will may keep your share out of a surviving partner's care-fee assessment. If you own the home together, that only works if you hold it as tenants in common.
  • You have children. You will want to appoint guardians, and may want a trust to protect their inheritance until they are old enough.
  • You are in a second marriage or have step-children. Balancing a partner and children from a previous relationship is one of the most common things wills get wrong.
  • You are not married to your partner. Cohabiting partners have no automatic right to inherit, so a will is essential.
  • You own a business or farm. Succession, and Business or Agricultural Property Relief from inheritance tax, need proper planning.
  • Your estate might face inheritance tax. The right structure can make a real difference to what reaches your family.
  • You want to exclude someone, or expect a challenge. These wills need careful drafting to stand up if contested.

What a solicitor adds

DIY or online will compared with a solicitor

DIY or online willSolicitor (Aaron Johnson)
A template. It cannot ask about your circumstancesA real conversation about your family, property and wishes
No one checks for errors, tax issues or omissionsAdvice on issues you may not have spotted
You must get the signing exactly right yourselfA correctly drafted, valid will, signed and witnessed properly
No advice on guardians, trusts or care feesGuardians, trusts, tax and care-fee planning considered
Often no insurance, regulator or ombudsman if it goes wrongRegulated by the SRA, insured and accountable

The real cost of getting it wrong

The saving on a free or DIY will vanishes the moment it fails. An invalid or unclear will can mean the estate passes under the intestacy rules instead of your wishes, or starts a dispute between the people you love. Contested estates can cost many thousands of pounds and take months to resolve. Advice up front costs a fraction of that.

Straight advice for Bridlington and East Yorkshire

You deal directly with Aaron Johnson, a solicitor and STEP-qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner. There is no call centre and no salesperson on commission. He works across Bridlington, Driffield, Filey, Hornsea, Beverley, Cottingham and the wider East Yorkshire area. Home visits are available where that suits you better. If you only need a simple will, he will tell you. If your situation needs more care, he will explain why, and what it will cost as a fixed fee before you decide.

Written by Aaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP · Law of England and Wales as at 18 June 2026 · Ends

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

General answers for England and Wales. What applies to you depends on your circumstances.

Is a home-made will legally valid?

It can be. A will is valid if it is made voluntarily by someone aged 18 or over with mental capacity, and is in writing. It must be signed in front of two witnesses, both present at the same time. Each witness then signs in front of the person making the will. A gift to a witness, or to their spouse or civil partner, usually fails. The problem is that home-made wills often fail one of these tests, usually the witnessing, or are worded in a way that is unclear or contradictory. These flaws only come to light after death.

Can I write my own will and have a solicitor check it?

Some solicitors offer a will-checking service. In practice it is often no cheaper or easier than having the will drafted properly in the first place, because checking a flawed draft can take as long as starting fresh. For most people, a fixed-fee will drafted by a solicitor gives more certainty for a similar outlay.

What happens if my will is invalid?

If your will is found to be invalid, it has no effect, including any clause cancelling an earlier will. An earlier valid will then usually applies. If there is none, your estate passes under the intestacy rules. These set a fixed order of who inherits, which may be very different from what you wanted. An unmarried partner, step-children or a chosen charity could receive nothing.

Is a solicitor more expensive than a will-writer?

Not necessarily. Solicitor fees for a straightforward will are often comparable to a will-writer's, with the added protection of regulation, insurance and accountability. Aaron's fee is fixed and agreed in writing before any work starts, so you know the cost up front.

Next step

Ready when you are.

Get your priceStart onlineTalk to Aaron

Sixty seconds of questions that end on a named plan and a fixed fee, with VAT.

Or call 01262 310 850, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.

Appointments are usually available within a few working days, including Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and home visits across East and North Yorkshire.

Important

This guide contains general information about the law of England and Wales as at June 2026. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on in place of advice on your own circumstances. Wills, inheritance and intestacy law change often; check any specific point before acting on it. Outcomes for any one person depend on their facts, the documents, and decisions taken by HMRC, the courts and others. Fees shown are fixed once agreed in writing, before any work starts. Safe Harbour Legal and Legal Studio Solicitors are trading names of MDLS Solicitors Limited (company number 08599445), authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA 598793. The complaints procedure is at legalstudio.co.uk/sra-complaints (Legal Studio's website).