Mirrors Wills are used by partners - those in a civil partnership, husbands and wives or long term couples who want legal documentation to provide for their partner should they pass away. Mirror Wills are used when both partners in a couple have similar wishes for arrangements which should be put in place on their death.

Mirror Wills are legal documents which echo each other, in general the Wills will be written so the surviving partner is the sole beneficiary of the Will - the whole estate will become theirs on their partner's passing. The Will also usually nominates the surviving partner as the executor of the Will. The Will contains any arrangements for children the couple have. This would be monetary arrangements and care arrangements. Finally, there should also be a different beneficiary and different executor nominated in the mirror Wills to cover the possibility that both of the partners pass away at the same time. Often the beneficiary/beneficiaries will be the couple's children in this case. It is very important that this is done or there will be complications should both partners die at once and the Will won't be of much use in the eyes of the law. These are the main things which will be addressed in a Mirror Will.

Beyond these main considerations the couple may also wish to put in arrangements for items which will be left to certain different beneficiaries, or gifts which will be given to certain individuals. It is imperative to note that Mirror Wills are only appropriate if the couple's interests are extremely similar. If the Wills differ in any way, even if the differences seem small, it is probably best that you draft your Wills separately.

Mirror Wills differ to Mutual Wills in that there is an agreement when a Mutual Will is drafted that the surviving partner cannot update their Will once their partner has passed away. A Mirror Will does not come with this stipulation - which is one of the benefits of opting for a Mirror Will over a Mutual. However, every relationship is different and every couple's requirements for their Will are their own. Therefore, the question of type of Will you decide to draft should be a decision that is carefully considered. It may be helpful to get legal advice about the types of Will which are available to you as a couple. Once you have made your decision about which type of Will you are going to draft, many solicitors offer Will writing, Will drafting and Will storage services which ensure that your Will is accurately drafted and is kept in a place safe from fire and other damage.