Most people don't want a document. They want to know the house is safe, the children actually inherit, and nobody is left arguing. That's what we do — face to face, at your kitchen table, in plain English.
What we do
Every one of these exists for the same reason — so that what you own reaches the people you meant it to reach, with as little tax, delay and argument as possible.
Single wills, mirror wills for couples, and wills containing trusts where the situation calls for it. Guardians for children, executors, specific gifts, funeral wishes and charitable legacies.
Drafted after a proper conversation about your family — never filled in from a template.
Learn more →Two types: one for property and financial affairs, one for health and welfare. They let people you trust act for you if illness or an accident means you can't act for yourself.
We prepare both and handle registration with the Office of the Public Guardian.
Learn more →Property trusts, life interest trusts, discretionary trusts and trusts for vulnerable beneficiaries — used where an outright gift would leave money exposed to divorce, creditors or remarriage.
Often the difference between children inheriting, and children inheriting what's left.
Learn more →Every person has a £325,000 nil-rate band, plus up to £175,000 residence nil-rate band where the home passes to children or grandchildren. Both transfer between spouses — up to £1 million for a couple, done properly.
Both bands are frozen while house prices rise, pulling more families in each year — and the residence band tapers away above £2 million. We show you exactly where your estate stands.
Learn more →What happens to your shareholding if you die or lose capacity? Business lasting powers of attorney, wills that properly account for business assets, and how business relief affects the rest of your estate.
The relief rules changed in April 2026 — worth a review if you last looked before then.
Learn more →Care costs are the single biggest threat to most estates. We advise on how ownership of the home is structured and what can properly be done in advance, working alongside regulated specialists where needed.
We'll tell you honestly what is and isn't possible. Anyone promising your home is untouchable isn't being straight with you.
Learn more →The question most people get wrong
Without a valid will the law decides, not you — and the answer surprises almost everyone. Three questions, and you'll see exactly what the rules of intestacy would do to your estate in England and Wales today.
The £322,000 here is the statutory legacy — the sum a surviving spouse takes first when someone dies without a will. It is not a tax figure, and it has nothing to do with the £325,000 inheritance tax nil-rate band below. The moment you have a valid will, the statutory legacy stops applying to you. In force since 26 July 2023. General guidance for England and Wales, not advice on your circumstances.
Why ELATCO
A will decides what happens to everything you own and everyone you love. We think that deserves a senior specialist's full attention — so that's what every client gets.
Not a call centre, and not a junior working from a script. Laurence or Kealy handles your matter personally, from first conversation to signing.
Across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, and nationwide by video where that suits you better. Kitchen tables produce better wills than offices do.
Your fee is confirmed in writing after the free consultation, before any work begins. No hourly billing, no creeping costs, no surprises.
How it works
At your home, our office, or by video. Around an hour. We listen, explain your options in plain English, and answer questions. No charge and no obligation.
We set out what we recommend and why, with a fixed fee in writing. You decide whether to proceed. Nothing is drafted and nothing is charged until you say yes.
We prepare your documents, take you through them line by line, and supervise signing and witnessing so they're valid. We store them safely and remind you when a review is due.
Who you'll be dealing with
ELATCO is run by one family — Laurence, his wife Christine, and their daughter Kealy, with forty years of estate planning between them. We spend our working lives protecting families because we are one, and your affairs get the same care we'd give our own. You'll never be passed around a department.
30 years in estate planning
Laurence has advised families and business owners on wills, trusts and estate planning for three decades, and founded ELATCO in 2003. He is trained through the Society of Will Writers and the Institute of Professional Will Writers.
10 years in estate planning
Kealy has grown up around the business and now works across the full range of estate planning, from straightforward mirror wills through to trusts and later-life planning. Clients know her for making a daunting subject feel entirely manageable.
Runs the ELATCO office
Christine keeps the family firm moving — appointments, documents and follow-ups. She's often the first voice you'll hear when you call, and the person making sure nothing about your matter slips.
Build your agenda
Tick anything that applies to you. We'll turn it into a personal agenda for your free consultation — the questions worth asking, based on your circumstances.
Tick what applies to you and your agenda will build itself here.
A starting point for a conversation — not advice, and not a promise about what can be achieved in your circumstances. What's actually possible depends on the detail, which is what the consultation is for.
In their words
We arranged mirrored wills and trusts, and Laurence was very patient — nothing was too much trouble. We had no idea where to start, and now feel happy we have our situation covered.
— Mrs Barbara HI was worried that I had already arranged my personal situation but had not taken advice on my business. The advice I received was great, and I would definitely recommend their service.
— Mr Brian LI was given Laurence's details by my sister and I am so happy she did, as I now feel my children are more protected. I have already passed his details to my friend for the same service.
— Mrs Sarah BI would recommend Kealy — she has a lot of patience and understood our situation. We would have no problem in recommending her services.
— Mr Paul KStraight answers
No. There's no legal requirement to use a solicitor, and will writing isn't a reserved legal activity in England and Wales. What matters is that whoever drafts it knows what they're doing — a badly drafted will causes far more damage than no will at all. We're specialist estate planners; this is all we do, rather than one service among many.
The rules of intestacy decide. If you're married with children, your spouse receives your personal possessions, the first £322,000 and half of anything above that; your children share the other half. Married with no children, your spouse takes everything. Not married, and your partner receives nothing at all — there's no such thing as common-law marriage in England and Wales.
No, and it's the most common and most damaging misunderstanding we come across. An unmarried partner inherits nothing under intestacy, however long you've lived together and whether or not you have children together. Their only route is a court claim — slow, expensive, uncertain, and fought against your own family at the worst possible time.
Sometimes, partly, and only when it's done for the right reasons and well in advance. Local authorities can look behind arrangements made deliberately to avoid care costs, and there's no time limit on that. We'll tell you honestly what your options are and where the line sits. Be very cautious of anyone who guarantees your home is untouchable — that promise can't be made.
It depends on what you need, which is why we don't publish a single figure that would be wrong for most people. Mirror wills for a straightforward couple and a property trust with a business interest are very different pieces of work. After your free consultation you get a fixed fee in writing, and it doesn't change.
An LPA lets people you choose make decisions for you if you can't make them yourself. There are two — property and financial affairs, and health and welfare — and most people should have both. Without one, your family must apply to the Court of Protection, which takes months, costs considerably more, and gives the court the final say over who acts for you.
Inheritance tax is charged at 40% above your available allowances. Everyone has a nil-rate band of £325,000. On top of that, the residence nil-rate band adds up to £175,000 where your home passes to children or grandchildren — giving one person up to £500,000 tax-free. Anything unused transfers to a surviving spouse or civil partner, so a couple can pass on up to £1 million with the right planning. Two cautions: both bands are frozen while asset values rise, and the residence band tapers away once an estate exceeds £2 million — larger estates can lose it entirely. Wills drafted without the residence band in mind can accidentally forfeit it, which is one of the most common faults we find in older wills.
No — and the two numbers are confused constantly, even by professionals. The £322,000 statutory legacy only exists when someone dies without a will: it is the fixed sum a surviving spouse takes before the rest is shared with children, under intestacy law. It decides who receives the estate, not whether tax is paid. The £325,000 nil-rate band is the tax allowance, and it applies to everyone. Make a valid will and the £322,000 becomes irrelevant to you — which is rather the point of making one.
Yes, at no extra cost, across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, and nationwide by video and post where that's easier. People think more clearly about their families at their own kitchen table than in an office.
If anything has changed — a marriage, a divorce, a death, a birth, a property, a business, or simply a decade passing — then yes. Marriage revokes an existing will in England and Wales, which catches a great many people out. A review is part of the free consultation.
Get in touch
Tell us roughly what you need and we'll come back to you the same working day wherever possible. Or simply call — you'll speak to Laurence or Kealy, not a switchboard.