Selina Trigg

When you are juggling the emotions of a separation and negotiating your parenting and financial matters with an ex, it can be tempting to put off looking at your will to “another day”.  But attending to your will, powers of attorney and how the ownership of your home is recorded are important aspects of comprehensively getting things sorted in order to avoid future problems for you and those you care about most. Here’s why -

There’s a folder in my hall cupboard that I will probably never personally use — but one day, it will be incredibly useful for someone else. I recommend every adult has one of these. It’s my “Death Folder” — or, as I sometimes call it, my “In Case Of” Folder. Inside is all the important, practical information my loved ones will need if I die or if I ever become unable to manage my finances or make decisions for myself.

Sometimes as family lawyers we must rain on people’s parade. We can’t always tell clients what they want to hear. This was one of those times. Despite the fact the home and mortgage were in Rebecca’s sole name, she was dismayed to learn that, by law, the home was relationship property. The principal family residence is given special status in law as the “family home”.