There are many occasions where beneficiaries feel like they must challenge a Will especially where they believe that it is unfair or was not updated properly by the deceased to reflect recent financial changes. These could involve any of the following:
- Your grandma passes away and it turns out that she has left things to each one of your siblings, but not you. However you were very close and you were even there when she died. Yet you feel so guilty disputing a Will; you simply weren't brought up to squabble about money and it makes you feel cheap.
- Your dad passes away and you are shocked to discover that you are omitted from his Will, he has left everything to his new wife. Your emotions are all over the place: grief, guilt, shock, fear. Would I be able to make an inheritance claim?
- Your mum has died and after she split from your dad, she had forgotten to rewrite her Will. Whilst grieving for her, you discover that the Will she had made with your dad before he left is now invalid. A further unpleasant surprise comes along when you discover that her Estate gets divided up between many relatives who had no contact with your mum and stand to inherit a fortune. Your mum would never have wanted that, should you contest the Will?
- Your wife has died unexpectedly in an accident. You often discussed creating a Will with your partner but never ended up doing so. So, she died intestate. Your wife had family, including siblings with whom she had fallen out with years ago. To your horror, this means that they will stand to inherit a fair sum of money and you have nowhere to live. Can you make an inheritance claim?
- Your long time partner has just died after a short but severe illness. Next thing you know you find out that the Will is invalid. He has other children who also have grandchildren. There is a large spreading family of aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces. Rarely have you had much contact with any of them. His Estate has to be divided amongst them too and your portion is tiny. Can you make a valid claim on inheritance? Will it be traumatic?
Can you make an inheritance claim, should you go ahead in disputing a Will? Do you fall into a similar bracket to these examples above? Things between family are difficult this is where a specialist lawyer can really help, they can not only offer expert legal advice but also make you feel calm. Speak to a specialist solicitor who understands the issues involved in disputing a Will. You should not feel bad about enquiring if you believe you have wrongly been left out.