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A will is a legal document. It allows you to choose who receives your belongings and assets after you die.

A will can also be used to appoint a guardian to look after children until they can look after themselves.

Apart from these obvious advantages, a will can save the expense and possible squabbles that may arise when a person dies without a will.

Everyone should have a will. A will is the only way you can tell others how you want your assets to be distributed after your death. It is the only way you can provide for people who may depend on you financially, e.g. children.

Of course it's always easy to put it off. Robert Holmes-a-Court didn't have a will when he died. He'd had one prepared, but he spent months carrying it around in his briefcase and didn't get round to signing it. Fortunately for his wife, his children were prepared to not claim their substantial entitlements under intestacy rules.

Even if you only own a few assets, it's worth making a will so that you can ensure what happens to those assets after you die. If you don't have a will, your assets will be distributed according to intestacy rules. These rules apply to everyone and do not take account of your individual circumstances or what you may have wanted.

A will also allows you to choose a person to manage the distribution of your assets. This person is called an executor. If you don't have a will, your assets are distributed by a court-appointed person called an administrator.

• the validity of wills;
• the granting of administration;
• the formula for distributing assets when there is no will;
• rectifying wills etc.