DRAFT | NOT A VALID WILL UNTIL REVIEWED BY A LAWYER AND PROPERLY SIGNED
Lexis Ghana
Takes about 10 minutes
Eleven short steps, one question at a time. Please try to answer all questions as best as you can. You can skip and fill it in later. Read these five points first.
A Will must identify you beyond doubt. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your documents.
Nothing to fill in here. One clause is added to your draft automatically, and this explains why.
Why this clause matters
If you have ever written a Will before even a handwritten note, even one you think was thrown away it can resurface after your death and compete with this one. Your family then has to argue about which document you meant to apply.
A revocation clause closes that off. It states plainly that this document replaces everything that came before it.
It is included even if you have never made a Will, because it costs nothing and removes the argument entirely.
I HEREBY REVOKE all Wills, codicils and other testamentary dispositions heretofore made by me and DECLARE this to be my Last Will and Testament.
One thing to tell your lawyer. If an earlier Will exists, say so at your review. It should be physically destroyed once this one is properly signed, not simply left in a drawer.
Add one Property at a time. Anything you leave out is covered later by the residue clause.
Nothing added yet.
Who should receive it?
Name each person in full, say how they are related to you, and add one detail that tells them apart from anyone with a similar name.Fixed sums to particular people; a church, a nephew's school fees, a friend. Skip this if you have none.
A fixed sum is not adjusted for inflation. GH¢10,000 written today may be worth far less by the time it is paid.
Nothing added yet.
What happens if the Will is opened and some existing properties are not mentioned in it?
What is the residue?
The residue is property you own that is not found in the Will after your death. ie., property you have not yet purchased or that you have simply forgotten about. A gift or payout that you did not expect.
Without this clause, all of the properties that are not specifically mentioned will be shared under PNDC Law 111.
You did not add any property to the inventory, and you have not named anyone to receive the residue. A Will has to give something to someone.
Before continuing either name one person here to receive the residue, or go back and add at least one property to your inventory.
If you have under-age children, naming a guardian is recommended.
Do you have any child under the age of 18?A guardian is not automatic. If you name nobody, the decision may be made by a court. Note that the named person may refuse guardianship.
Your executor(s) enforce the Will when you are gone.
Choose people who will still be alive and capable. May be one or more persons. May be a trusted family member, lawyer, accountant, priest or any other trusted person. The selected person may refuse executorship.
Ask them first. Executorship is real work, often over a year or more, and the job is far harder when it lands on someone unprepared.
This is entirely optional. Also the subject of many family disputes.
Say it here as well as out loud to the family. Writing your wishes down does not guarantee they are followed, but it provides a feasible resolution to family disputes about your funeral.
Two people who will physically watch you sign.
A witness cannot be a beneficiary under the Will. If a beneficiary witnesses your Will, the gift to that person fails. The Will still stands, but the witness gets nothing. The same risk applies to the husband or wife of a beneficiary, ie., they cannot be a witness.
Both witnesses must be present at the same time, watch you sign, and then sign in front of you and each other.
Nobody named yet.
A Witness cannot be a beneficiary. Change the witness, or the gift to them fails:
Leave the date blank. A Will is dated on the day it is actually signed, in front of the witnesses. Your draft leaves that space empty on purpose.
Your answers are complete. Read this before you print anything.
It is a draft. It records what you told the system, in the format a Will normally takes. It has not been checked by a lawyer, and it should not be signed as it stands.
Every page is watermarked DRAFT for that reason. The document remains a draft until finalised and signed.
Drawn from the answers you gave.
Print or save your draft first. You will need it at the review. We do not keep your draft in our system.
Pick a 60-minute slot that suits you. Bring your saved draft to the session.
Read it through. If something is wrong, go back and change it. Your answers are still here.
This document should not be signed as it is. It must be reviewed by a lawyer and signed under supervision, or it may fail entirely.
Save it now. Your answers live only on your phone. When you close the tab and they may be lost permanently until you refill the form; so print or save the PDF before you do anything else.
On a phone, choose Print and then Save as PDF as the destination.