Mirror wills explained: why they make sense for couples
If you're part of a couple thinking about making a will, there's a good chance a mirror will is exactly what you're looking for.
What a mirror will actually is
Two individual wills, written for two people, that largely reflect each other's wishes, typically leaving everything to each other first, with an agreed plan for what happens after both partners have passed.
Why couples choose them
It's simpler than doing it separately, and it reflects how most couples actually think: look after my partner first, then our children. It also applies whether you're married or not. Unmarried partners have no automatic right to inherit from each other under the law in England and Wales, so a mirror will is one of the most direct ways to protect them.
A common question: what if we want different things?
Mirror wills don't have to be identical. Each partner can still make individual provisions: a personal gift, a specific item, or a different choice of guardian.
One thing to know: mirror wills aren't locked in
Each of you can change your own will at any time, including after the first of you has died. That's usually what couples want. If you'd like more certainty that something passes to your children in the end, for example if either of you has children from an earlier relationship, there are other options, and I'll talk you through them.