Sorting It Sooner Rather Than Later: Our Free Sessions on Wills, LPAs and Peace of Mind

There is a particular silence that falls in our back room when the topic turns to wills. It is the silence of people who know they should be taking notes and would rather be anywhere else.

And yet, month after month, the chairs fill up. Older residents, adult children accompanying parents, first-generation families with property in two countries and questions in three languages. The 'We'll Sort It Later' problem, as one of our volunteer solicitors calls it, is universal — and it is solvable, given an evening, a cup of tea and someone patient to talk to.

What Actually Happens When There's No Will

Nadia Rahman, a solicitor who has volunteered with the association for two years, begins every session the same way: with what happens if you die without a will — known as dying intestate.

"People assume the family sorts it out," she explains. "The law assumes otherwise. Under the intestacy rules, an unmarried partner inherits nothing. A spouse may not inherit everything if there are children. And the estate — including the family home — can end up administered in ways nobody wanted."

For families who have spent decades building something to pass on, she says, that is a quiet tragedy entirely avoidable with a properly executed will. A basic one, she notes, is far cheaper than most people fear — and free where legal aid or charitable schemes apply.

The Property Abroad Problem

For many in our community, the complications don't stop at Dover. Inheritance of land in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria and Somalia can involve separate legal systems, unregistered titles, and relatives overseas with their own understanding of who owns what.

"We see disputes that start with love and end up in litigation," says Mohammed Iqbal, another volunteer, who specialises in cross-border estates. "A house in Sylhet, a plot in Lagos — if nobody documented ownership clearly while they were alive, the next generation inherits an argument instead of an asset."

His advice is unglamorous and repeatable: get the paperwork in order now, tell someone trustworthy where it is, and take formal advice on how foreign property interacts with a UK will.

Lasting Powers of Attorney: The Other Half of the Job

If wills are about after you're gone, Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) are about while you're still here. An LPA lets you appoint someone you trust to make financial or health decisions if you lose capacity to make them yourself.

Without one, families face applying to the Court of Protection — slower, costlier and more stressful than most imagine. "I've seen adult children unable to access a parent's bank account to pay for their care, for months," Nadia says. "An LPA signed while you're well is one of the kindest documents you'll ever complete."

Registration with the Office of the Public Guardian currently costs £82 per LPA, with fee remissions available for those on certain benefits — a detail our volunteers always cover.

No Judgement, Just Paperwork

The sessions are deliberately informal. There is no selling, no obligation, and no assumption that anyone has done anything wrong. Attendees leave with a plain-English checklist: whether they need a will, how to choose attorneys, where to keep documents, and who to tell.

"The best outcome," Mohammed says, "is that someone goes home, talks to their family over dinner, and writes things down. That conversation is worth more than anything I can draft for them."

The sessions run on the second Thursday of each month at the association hall, with interpreters available on request and refreshments provided. Booking is not required — though arriving early for a good chair is advised.

Later has a habit of becoming never. An hour or two now, with people who know the forms, saves your family a great deal more later on.