A Will is probably the most important document you will sign during your lifetime. If you die without a Will the assets in your estate which you have worked so hard to accumulate during your lifetime, may not end up in the hands of the people you would wish them to. We will structure your Will to ensure that the right persons or institutions inherit precisely that which you wish them to inherit. We will be very happy to be nominated as the Executors of your estate to ensure that your estate is administered properly and we will ensure that your Will is signed and witnessed correctly so that it is a valid document and that no problems will arise on your death.

The making of a Will is a task which many try to avoid or to put off for as long as possible. Others again suspect that the making of a Will might hasten their own death and thus they treat it as a formality best left until the last minute or perhaps forgotten about altogether. Whatever one's psychological approach or attitude, the making of a Will is a serious and important undertaking as it involves the distribution of one's estate, one's hard earned assets, among those left behind. It might take the form of an out-and-out bequest or a condition may be attached to the bequest which can assume various forms such as allocating the income of an asset to one person and the capital to another. As a Will is in effect a man's final instructions to his executor to deal with his assets which he has accumulated during his lifetime and contains arrangements regarding, inter alia, the welfare of those left behind, it ought to be a document which clearly expresses the testator's intention. The drafting of a Will requires careful thought and an understanding of all the legal, fiscal and financial repercussions with special reference to estate planning to ensure that the estate will be administered to the best advantage and that the impact of estate duty, income tax and donations tax is reduced to a minimum. The absence of a Will can lead to a delay in the initial stages of administration of an estate as the Master of the High Court is required under such circumstances to convene a meeting of interested parties to nominate an executor. Such delay might have serious repercussions particularly where a business undertaking is involved. Various other disadvantages could arise, particularly where minors are concerned.

Herold Gie will draft your Will for you so as to ensure that the right persons or institutions inherit precisely that which you wish them to inherit. Herold Gie will be very happy to be nominated as the executors of your estate to ensure that your estate is administered in accordance with your wishes and they will ensure that one's Will is properly signed and witnessed so that it is a valid document and that no problems will arise on your death.

We also specialise in the following areas:

» Estate Planning» Administration of Estates» Trust Administration