The Law Commission of England & Wales is proposing the modernisation of the last Will and testaments. They have stated that currently the law surrounding Will writing is unclear and preventing people from making a Will.
Reforms suggested include making a valid legal Will by email, other electronic communication and even text acceptable. They suggest that if the intention of the person is to write their last wishes by any of these means, an application can then be made to a judge to approve them.
Currently a legal Will must be voluntarily written by someone who is 18 or over and with the necessary capacity, signed in front of two witnesses who are also both over 18 and must also both sign the Will in the presence of the testator.
The commission accepts that the new proposals could result in family disputes and protracted court cases but feel the benefits outweigh these risks. At present 40% of the UK population die without writing a Will. Law Commissioner, Professor Nick Hopkins, said making a Will should be "straightforward" but the law was "unclear and outdated".
The consultation closes on 10 November and can be found at http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/wills/