Free Wills Made Available for Any New Zealanders

WELLINGTON COMPANIES MAKE FREE WILLS AVAILABLE FOR ANY NEW ZEALANDERS

Advanced legal technology helps New Zealanders avoid leaving their families with unnecessary stress and costs when they die

New Zealand companies LawHawk (www.lawhawk.nz) and Succeed Legal (www.succeedlegal.co.nz), have partnered to make it possible for any New Zealanders to get a will - completely free - using the market leading HotDocs (www.hotdocs.com) document automation platform.

This is important, because over half of all New Zealanders over the age of 18 don’t have a will, a figure that rises to 66% for 25 to 39 year olds and 70% for 25-44 year olds with children. When someone dies without a will, it costs a lot more to administer the estate – money that could have gone to family and friends instead of lawyers and court costs. It can also cause huge distress at an already difficult time as the family tries to agree the deceased’s intentions for distributing their assets, how they wanted to be buried, and who they want to look after their children.

“I was aware of the large number of people who didn’t have wills and the problems that causes, and wanted to do something about it”, said Gene Turner, LawHawk’s Managing Director. “But we didn’t just want to provide a technology solution –people need to be able to get legal advice, that is personal, efficient and affordable. When we met Succeed Legal’s owner Matt May, an expert in wills and trusts who cares about the same issues, the solution quickly fell into place.”

“Most wills we prepare are actually not that complicated” said Matt Hay. “We’ve made it easy for anyone to get a will that covers the most important bases. You can explore different options in your own time, and in the privacy and comfort of your own home, and if you want legal advice or a more complex solution, get it from us or another lawyer much more efficiently because you’ve already done a lot of the initial thinking and work.”

Even those people with wills should review them regularly. “We strongly encourage all New Zealanders to look at this will” said Gene Turner. “Even if you have a will, it may be out of date. It will only take a few minutes to prepare your draft will and see if it suits your requirements. There is no cost or obligation, and the choice is yours whether to sign it or tear it up. What is there to lose?”

LawHawk also offers a $39.90 paid will with more options for those with more complex needs, and are building a directory of lawyers who can advise on the LawHawk wills.

The free will is available at www.lawhawk.nz for an initial trial period until 30 April 2017.

1 http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/7570360/Half-of-Kiwis-don-t-have-a-will, andhttp://www.publictrust.co.nz/about-us/news/news-items/2014/70-percent-of-young-families-dont-have-a-will-in-place

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