Private Client, Wills and LPAs together
Two documents. One conversation.
Your Will answers what happens when you're gone. Your Lasting Powers of Attorney answer what happens if you're still here but can't decide for yourself. Different questions, same family, same house, same people you trust. We look after both together because that's how life works.
Why one adviser, not two
One fee earner. One file.
Most people think about Wills and LPAs as separate errands. Two appointments, two firms, two files, two lots of forms to fill in twice. That approach costs you more than money. It means the people you name as attorneys never get considered against the people you name as executors. It means your LPA is drafted without knowing what your Will says about business succession or trust interests. It means when something changes in five years time, you have to explain everything twice to two different advisers.
We look after Wills and LPAs as part of the same conversation. One fee earner. One file. One record of who you are, what you own, who matters to you and what you want to happen. If we save you money by doing both together, that's a consequence, not the point.
The package saving
When we prepare your Wills and LPAs as one matter, we apply a 10% saving to the combined fee. That's real, and we state it transparently on your Client Care Letter.
| You're taking | Combined fee | You save |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Will (single) plus both personal LPAs | £980 | £110 |
| Essential Mirror Wills plus Mirror LPA pair | £1,700 | £190 |
| Family Protection Mirror Wills plus Mirror LPAs | £2,150 | £240 |
| Business Owner Mirror Wills plus Full mirror LPA set | £3,140 | £350 |
All legal fees shown exclude VAT. VAT is charged at the prevailing rate.
The Office of the Public Guardian charges £92 to register each LPA; those fees are separate and payable directly to them. If the donor's gross annual income is £12,000 or less, or the donor receives certain means-tested benefits, that fee may be reduced or waived. We will help you apply.
What looking after you actually means
Anyone can sell you two documents.
What you're paying for at Bonsai is the relationship around them.
Before we quote
If you're not sure what you need, start with an Estate Planning Review. £295 plus VAT, 45 minutes with a solicitor, written recommendations and an inheritance-tax position note. If you go ahead with a Will within 30 days, half the £295 fee (£147.50) comes off your Wills fee.
During the work
You will have a named fee earner as your main contact throughout. They are supported by the wider team and supervised by the responsible solicitor, so your matter keeps moving if they are unavailable.
At signing
We check that the people you've named as attorneys still make sense against the people you've named as executors. We check your LPA gives your attorneys the powers they'll actually need if you own a business or hold a trust interest. We check your Life-Sustaining Treatment wording is consistent with any Advance Decision you already have. Small things that get missed when two firms are looking at half the picture each.
After we're done
A five-yearly review reminder, at no charge. A short call to check nothing needs changing. If life has changed and something does need changing, we take care of it.
When life happens
Marriage, divorce, a new child, a business sale, a bereavement, a house move. Any of those may mean your Wills or LPAs need looking at. We'd rather hear from you sooner than later, and we don't charge for a conversation.
What's included
- Two Wills or one Will. drafted for your circumstances, executed at our office in front of independent witnesses, and stored in our secure document storage. Certified copies to you.
- Up to four LPAs across the couple, or up to two for a single client. Property and Financial Affairs, Health and Welfare, or both. Drafted for your circumstances, signed in the correct statutory order, notified to any persons you name, submitted to the Office of the Public Guardian, and returned to you registered. Originals stored in our secure document storage. Certified copies to you.
- Coordination across both. We plan the signing sequence and provide you with clear information about what happens next and the roles of the people you appoint. You receive a written summary of what we have done and what happens next.
- Advice, not just drafting. We ask the questions that matter. Guardianship if you have young children. Business continuity if you own one. Gift-making authority if that matters to you. Digital assets. Overseas property. We don't just fill in forms.
What's not included
We're upfront about this because the number matters.
- Registration fees to the Office of the Public Guardian. £92 per LPA, or reduced or waived if you qualify.
- ID verification checks. A small third-party fee, typically under £15 per person, that we recharge at cost.
- Certified copies beyond the ones included. Charged at cost.
- Home visits. We're happy to travel; there's a small additional fee to cover time and travel.
- Foreign-element planning. If you have overseas property or non-UK-domicile status, we'll quote separately for that work.
- Court of Protection applications, deputyship, contested probate. Not part of this package; we'll refer you to the right specialist.
How long it takes
Documents ready for signing within six weeks.
We usually prepare the documents for signing within six weeks of receiving everything we need from you.
Your Wills come into force on the day you sign them. Your LPAs follow a set sequence. You sign first as donor. Your certificate provider signs next, confirming you understand the LPA. Your attorneys sign after that. If you've chosen to name people to be told, we notify them once the LPA is fully signed. A four-week statutory waiting period then applies before we submit to the Office of the Public Guardian. Registration by the Office of the Public Guardian is outside our control and currently takes approximately 14 to 20 weeks after submission. We keep you updated if that position changes. You should not be surprised to see your LPAs come back registered several months after your Wills are already in force. That's normal.
Who this is for
Anyone who has thought "I really should sort this out" and never quite got around to it.
Couples
Mirror Wills and mirror LPAs give both of you cover across both risks, at the best value in the package grid.
Business owners
Your Will and your LP1F both need to work with your shareholder agreement or partnership deed. Doing them together avoids gaps.
Anyone with a diagnosis in the family
If capacity may become an issue, LPAs are the priority; we plan Wills execution alongside.
Anyone with young children
Guardians in your Will, medical decision-making in your LPAs, and a clear picture of who's carrying which responsibility.
Anyone who's already put it off long enough
No judgement, just a straightforward first appointment.
Common questions
Answered, plainly.
Do we have to do both? Can we start with just one?
Yes to both questions. Some clients start with LPAs because a family member's health is prompting them. Others start with Wills because of a mortgage, a new baby or a change in family circumstances. Either is fine. If you decide you would like to do both, we will explain the available options and fees before you instruct us.
Can we take just one type of LPA, not both?
Yes. Many clients take a Property and Financial Affairs LPA and skip Health and Welfare, or vice versa. We'll talk you through the decision. Most people we advise end up taking both, because the reason for having them is different in each case.
Do we have to name the same people in the Wills and LPAs?
No. Many clients do choose the same people, but they don't have to. Executors administer your estate after you've died; attorneys act for you while you're alive but unable to. Different jobs, and it's fine to appoint different people for each. We'll help you think it through.
What if we change our minds later?
Wills and LPAs are living documents. We build in a five-yearly review reminder and a life-event flag. If you need to update something, come back to us and the second time round is usually faster and cheaper because we already have the picture.
Is the 10% saving compounded with any other discount?
Not usually. If you've had an Estate Planning Review recently, we apply the 10% package saving to your combined Wills and LPA subtotal, round the combined fee down to the nearest £5, then deduct the £147.50 EPR credit. Every step of the calculation is shown on your Client Care Letter.
Can we split the work over more than one appointment?
Yes. Most clients take one 90-minute first appointment and one shorter signing appointment. If you'd rather split the first appointment into two shorter sessions, or take the LPAs first and the Wills next month, we can do that.
What if one of us wants to change something the other doesn't know about?
Rare, but it happens. If one of you wants to make a private change to a mirror arrangement, we treat it as a separate matter and take separate instructions. We do not disclose to your partner without your authority. This is a professional obligation, not an unusual step.
What happens next
From first email to registered documents.
- 1Get in touchCall, email, or use the enquiry form. We come back to you within one working day.
- 2Short qualification callTen minutes to work out whether you want a straight combined appointment or an Estate Planning Review first.
- 3Client Care LetterWe send you a written Client Care Letter setting out the scope, the fee, the timeline, and what we need from you. You sign and return.
- 4First appointment90 minutes at our office in Maidstone, or by video call. We go through the questionnaire together and confirm your instructions.
- 5DraftingWe draft your Wills and LPAs. You review. We revise if needed.
- 6SigningWills first, LPAs in statutory sequence.
- 7RegistrationLPAs to the Office of the Public Guardian; Wills into secure storage.
- 8You get on with your lifeWe're here when you need us.
Bonsai Law is a firm of solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 8000734). Vanessa Challess and Rebekah Manning are the responsible solicitors for private client work. Our full price list, complaints procedure, and terms of business are available on request.
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