A Leamington Spa solicitor is urging people to make updating their will a priority – after research showed that four out of ten wills in the West Midlands are likely to be out of date.

Donna Bothamley, head of the wills and probate team at Berrymans Solicitors, said it was recommended to review and update your will every five years – or sooner if there has been a major life change in the family, such as a divorce, marriage, death or new arrival.

It comes as research commissioned by SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) found that more than half of people surveyed in the West Midlands had experienced a life-changing event in their family since they last updated their will.

Only 60 per cent of those surveyed in the West Midlands had updated their wills within the last five years, but 22 per cent said knew someone who had been affected by something going wrong with a will.

Donna said: “Updating your will is one of those tasks which can fall to the bottom of your priorities as life gets busy, and can sometimes be forgotten.

“The new year is a good time to address this because having an up-to-date, comprehensive and well-written will in place is crucial to ensure that your wishes are carried out in the way you’d like when you die.

“It’s not a situation which any of us like to dwell on, but by making sure that your will is current, you can have the peace of mind of knowing that everything is in place as you go on living and enjoying life.”

Wills cover everything from who will benefit from a person’s estate – their money, property, possessions and investments – to care arrangements for their children in the event that they pass away.

This week, January 23 to 29, is Update Your Will Week. It is run annually by SFE, a membership body of more than 1,700 UK solicitors who specialise in advising people planning for the future.

For more information on Berrymans Solicitors, call 01926 831231 or visit www.berrymanssolicitors.com.

Caption: Donna Bothamley, Head of Wills & Probate