Writing your Will

Why a Will is so important

Writing a Will is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. You may want a Will that ensures your assets and possessions are left to those you love when you are no longer here. Or there might be a cause close to your heart that you would like to leave a donation to.

Your Will allows you to:

• Reduce the burden on the loved ones you leave behind
• Protect any assets you may have and help reduce the impact that inheritance tax and residential care fees can have upon your estate; protecting your assets for your loved ones
• Ensure that all your assets are dealt with correctly, with debts paid and items going to the people you wish to receive them

Leaving a gift to the Foundation:

If you would like to leave a gift in your Will to the Medical Research Foundation, please ensure you provide your solicitor with our details:

• Registered name: Medical Research Foundation
• Registered charity number: 1138223

Options for writing your Will

There are a number of ways that you can write a Will. What’s more, it’s a lot more affordable (you can even do it for free) and straightforward than you may think.

Use a local solicitor or Will Writer

By getting your Will professionally written, you are ensuring that everything is covered and arranged as you would like it to be. There are many providers available, and you can use these networks to find a solicitor:

The Law Society Find a Solicitor

Remember a Charity’s network of professional advisers

The Co-operative Legal Services

The Co-operative Legal Services are a national provider of Wills and other legal services, trusted for their strong ethical beliefs and socially responsible working. They can help you to decide which Will is right for you and can also help you to amend an existing Will to ensure that all the details are correct and current.

The Co-operative Legal Services offer a professional, convenient and easy to use Will Writing Service over the phone. They are open 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am – 1pm on Saturdays, helping to offer free advice and support. If you wish to write your Will with The Co-operative Legal Services, they will agree a convenient time for a Will Writing specialist to take your instruction over the phone from the comfort of your home. This will take around 45 minutes. They will also store your completed Will for free until it is needed.

By phone

As a supporter of the Medical Research Foundation, The Co-operative Legal Services are offering to write a basic single Will at a discounted cost of £100 inclusive of VAT. This represents a saving of £25. To contact a Wills specialist, call on 0844 252 9965 and quote RACWILLS01. This service is available in England and Wales.

Online

You can also make your Will online with The Co-operative Legal Services.

Get started with writing your Will online with The Co-operative Legal Services

Write your Will online for free

You can write your Will online, for free, with Make a Will Online. It is a simple process, and all Wills are checked by a fully qualified solicitor. However, if you have a large or complex estate you should consider speaking with a solicitor face to face to make your Will. To help us, details of your gift such as the date and time it is left and the amount will be shared by Make A Will Online. You can also choose to share your name so we can contact you to thank you and to keep you updated.

Get started with making your Will online

Make your Will online (without sharing any information with us about your gift)

Write it yourself

While it’s possible to write your own Will, you need to be careful that you don’t miss out something vital, as leaving out certain details could make your Will invalid. So, it is strongly recommended to get it checked by a legal professional.

However you choose to support us - we are enormously grateful.