Is it worth contesting a Will?
Is it worth contesting a Will? What’s the real cost?
The fact is, families are often torn apart. This was recently seen on the TV show ‘A Current Affair’.
In one example, 3brothers had spent 3 years arguing over their mother’s $3 million Estate. The relationship between the brothers had completely broken down, because of the dispute with no end to the dispute in sight. Worst of all, until the dispute was resolved none of the three brothers was able to receive any part of their inheritance!
In another example, a mother was fighting to protect her children’s inheritance from their grandfather, that he had left them for their education. A friend of the grandfather made a claim on the Estate arguing that she and the deceased were romantically involved.
Need help?
The cost of a Will Dispute to the amount of inheritance that the beneficiaries eventually receive can be devastating. This is why it is an extremely good idea, for you and for your loved ones, to seek expert Wills and Estates advice when drafting your Will.
An expert Wills and Estates lawyer can identify what issues in your life may lead to a Will Dispute and act to address those issues and minimise the threat of a Will Dispute after you are gone. This can include identifying who the people are in your life that are entitled to dispute your Will and whether they have been adequately provided for in your Will. If there are reasons that you do not want to leave them an inheritance, then these reasons can be set out in your Will to be read after you are gone.
The best thing to do when you are thinking of your Will and what will happen to your loved ones after you are gone, is to make sure you have legal advice from a lawyer who practices exclusively in the Wills and Estates field and deals with these issues every day. The last thing you want your loved ones doing after you are gone is arguing over their inheritance! Regardless of the financial impacts such arguments have the potential to destroy forever your family unit and the relationships between your loved ones.
