IF YOU are among the two-thirds of Scottish parents who have not written a will, doing it in the next few weeks will benefit not only your pocket and the people you love but also a range of good causes.

As part of Will Aid Month, solicitors all over the country are offering free appointments in November in exchange for donations to charity.

Everyone needs an up-to-date will so that, should the worst happen, their estate is dealt with in the way they would want, but it is especially important for those with children under 18.

Yet, across the UK as a whole, 54 per cent have not prepared this vital piece of paperwork, and this rises to 65 per cent in Scotland.

No-one likes to think about dying or about the grief this will cause their loved ones, but failing to set out your intentions can only make things worse.

Peter de Vena Franks, campaign director for Will Aid, said: “Writing a will is an opportunity for parents to leave instructions about who they would like to care for their child in the event of their death.

“If you die without appointing a guardian, and there is no other parent with parental responsibility, an application would need to be made to the court to decide with whom your child will live in the event of a dispute.

“Preparing a correctly worded will with a solicitor is the best way to ensure your wishes are carried out. Will Aid Month provides the perfect opportunity to do this.”

Participating solicitors do the paperwork in exchange for a suggested donation of £95 for a single will and £150 for a couple.

Actress Dame Judi Dench, the initiative’s patron, said: “A will is a gift you can leave for those you love. If you choose to make your will with a Will Aid solicitor you could also be giving a loving gift to the thousands of children, families and communities helped by the Will Aid charities.”

Last year the initiative raised more than £1.2 million for partners including ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers and SCIAF.

People often assume that if they die intestate – that is, leaving no will – everything will automatically go to the people they cared about most.

But without an up-to-date record of your wishes, relatives you did not intend to benefit could inherit some or all of your property, possessions and cash.

If you are not married or in a civil partnership, your partner has no right to your money or possessions, and if you share a home that is in your name only, they may face a legal battle to keep it.

No matter how close you are to any step-children, they will not inherit a thing without clear written instructions.

Meanwhile, if you are still married or in a civil partnership with someone else, even if you split up years ago, they could claim the bulk of your assets including your house.

You might want to leave property, cash or possessions to friends or to charities, but without a will, everything will be divided according to the law.

Under Scots law, if you leave no will, prior rights dictate that once any debts are paid, your spouse or civil partner inherits any home you owned up to a value of £473,000, plus contents worth up to £29,000.

If you had no children, your spouse or partner also gets other assets worth up to £89,000. If you had children, your spouse or partner gets only the first £50,000 worth.

If you leave a valid will, prior rights do not apply, but no matter how much you might want to, you cannot exclude close family.

If you had a spouse or civil partner and children, the former can claim a third of your moveable estate – everything apart from land and buildings – while the latter share another third. If you were childless, your partner has a right to half, and if you had no partner, the children take half.

Die intestate and once prior and legal rights have been satisfied, your children get everything that is left. If you were childless, your parents and siblings inherit. If you did not have any, your spouse would get the rest. Without a spouse, more distant relatives benefit, but if there are none everything would go to the Crown.

Even with a will, if you leave an estate worth over the £325,000 inheritance tax threshold and do not get professional help to plan this effectively, your heirs will share their windfall with the taxman.

To book a Will Aid appointment, log on to Willaid.org.uk or call 0300 0309 558.