Making a new will - does this replace my previous will automatically?

swajarbal

Myself and my wife made wills after the birth of our last child, and now wish to make some minor changes (guardianship and executors). I contacted the solicitor who made our previous wills, to see if he would make the changes free as part of National Wills Month. He responded to say that there would be a flat charge of £99, which is more than they currently charge to make (new) joint wills (£69). This seems very unfair, and I simply don't want to pay £99 every time something in our circumstances/wishes changes. Other 'online' will firms charge a fee of £20 a year for unlimited changes, which seems much more reasonable.

I was wondering if we make new wills with another solicitor, if this is legally binding and automatically revokes the previous wills (due to being more recently dated), or if we specifically need to instruct (and pay?) the previous solicitor to destroy/revoke the previous wills? I understand the Executors need to be informed of the new wills, and will be given copies.

Thanks for any helpful replies.

naedanger

The new Will will revoke any earlier wills and the solicitor will put in wording to make this clear.
Nevertheless once the new will is completed you should make efforts to ensure all earlier wills and copies are destroyed to avoid future problems and confusion.

Also perhaps consider putting effort into accounting for likely future changes (e.g. additional children, what happens in the event of death of potential beneficiaries etc) so the need for frequent changes to your will are not necessary. (Obviously you cannot, or might not wish to, anticipate every eventuality but most people's wills last many years.)

You don't need to give the executors a copy, but it makes sense to tell them where to get both the original and a back-up copy, after your death. It is obviously particularly important to ensure they get your current will and not an earlier one after your death.