Making a Will to Protect the Future of Your Child

The problem

Our clients had just had their first child and wanted to ensure she would be cared for should anything unexpected happen to them.

The process

We supported the clients in naming legal guardians for their child, determining how their estate would be used to fund their child’s future and considering any wishes they wanted to leave behind for her upbringing.

How this helped

We met with the clients soon after the birth of their first child. As new parents, they were concerned about what would happen to their child in the event of their unexpected death.

Though this is clearly an uncomfortable topic to think about, we explained just how important it is to prepare for this unlikely eventuality. With our support, our clients were able to make clear decisions on who would be the best people to take on the role of legal guardians. We also helped them to set out how they would like their money and property to be put in trust for their child’s care, education and future. These decisions were all legally recorded in a set of new wills.

Finally, we supported our clients in writing a Letter of Wishes that would be placed with the new wills. Though a Letter of Wishes isn’t legally binding, it offers a way for parents to clearly set out their wishes about how they would like their child to be brought up in terms of schooling, family relations, religion, etc.

Though this process was not easy emotionally, especially for new parents, it allowed our clients to allay any concerns they had about who would become responsible for caring for their child if they were no longer able to.