Making a Will is a lot easier and not as difficult as most people think. You can complete the simple online form as the DSPCA offers a FREE Will service. The DSPCA’s appointed solicitors and legal advisors, O’Shea Barry Solicitors LLP will arrange to meet with you to help you draft and complete your Will. This will include working out the value of your estate, assets and property that you own. Estate planning and help you make a list of the people, family members, causes and charities that are important to you that you would like to include in your Will. They will also help you decide on an executor of your Will. The executer is generally someone of sound mind and can be your spouse, your child, a friend or your solicitor.

You can help the DSPCA continue to make a life saving difference for many animals by including us in your Will. You will have the immediate satisfaction of creating a lasting and personal legacy that ensures DSPCA’s future. Here are a few ways you can support the DSPCA though legacy planning:

• leave a specific amount in your Will or trust.
• Make a residual gift. This is a percentage or a residue of your estate once your family members and loved ones have been taken care of.
• You also have the option of choosing to give specific items such as stocks, property or valuables, including art or jewellery.

Yes you can. To change or amend your Will in order to leave a bequest for the DSPCA you will need to make or add a codicil with the solicitor. A codicil is a document which amends your Will and sets out clearly and accurately the changes you want to make. These changes are then legally binding.

No, but it is advisable to use a solicitor to make a Will in Ireland. There are strict rules relating to the drafting and witnessing of Wills. The DSPCA’s appointed solicitors and legal advisors, O’Shea Barry Solicitors LLP will you help you make your Will. They are an Irish law firm established is 2007 and are located at 5 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Probate is the legal process by which a deceased person’s estate is administered according to their wishes. At the time of your death, the executor of your Will will manage your estate, finalise your affairs, settle debts and distribute belongings, property, assets and cash to next of kin or whoever is entitled to it.

By making a donation to the DSPCA through your Will you will help us continue our life saving work. Over 3000+ animals come to us each year from different situations of cruelty and neglect. By supporting our work you are helping us care for, rehabilitate and rehome all these animals. Your donation will not only help us to save lives today, it will ensure a bright, safe future for generations of animals to come.

Gifts left to the DSPCA are tax free so leaving a gift to us can help reduce the tax payable on your estate. 100% of your gift will go directly towards helping animals, meaning it has more impact.

If you are happy for us to recognise your donation we will acknowledge it on our legacy wall. This wall is based at our shelter in Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, Ireland and is dedicated to those individuals whose generosity has helped us save lives. We will honour your wishes if you would prefer it to remain private.

Yes there is specific legal language that must in used when making a Will. The DSPCA's appointed solicitors and legal advisors, O’Shea Barry Solicitors LLP will help write your Will using the correct legal language.

A beneficiary is a person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example, the beneficiary of a life insurance policy holder is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured.

In order for you to make a valid Will you must have, in the eyes of the law, the mental capacity to do so. This means that you must understand and be able to decide what you are doing. You must be able to choose for yourself what you want your Will to contain. If you have a medical condition that could call into question your ability to make decisions about what you should include in your Will you should ask your doctor to certify that you are capable of making a Will.

In Irish law once a grant of probate or "letters of administration" has been issued, anyone can apply for copies of the grant and the Will using a form called PAS1. The grant sets out the name and address of the executor or administrator of the estate and the name of the solicitor. It also sets to the gross value and net value of the estate. Detailed information about the estate is not normally available to the public, however certain people may be able to inspect the Inland Revenue Affidavit. They include, a beneficiary who is named in the Will, someone who is entitled to a share of the estate or a child who is entitled to bring proceedings against the estate.

The person (or testator) making the Will must be at least 18 years old and of sound mind. It must be in writing and signed by the testator and by at least 2 witnesses, though a witness cannot be a beneficiary of the Will.

The simple answer is yes. For your Will to be a valid legal document and stand up in court it must be signed in the presence of witnesses that you have chosen. If the validity of the Will is questioned for any particular reason, then those witnesses have the responsibility of testifying in court that the person did execute the Will and understood and acknowledged what he or she was signing.

No you do not need to make your Will in a court.

Our advisors will draft up your document with you free of charge, you do not need to pay. As mentioned above they will help you choose the people, family members and causes that are important to you that you would like to be in your Will. They will also help you decide on an executor of your Will (someone of sound mind and can be your spouse, your child, a friend). When you are deceased you can rest assured that everything has been taken care of for you. All we ask is that you leave a bequest/donation to the DPSCA in your Will to value of no less than €500.

If you would to change your existing Will and wish to avail of our service and you can do so without charge. All we ask is that you leave a bequest/donation to the DPSCA in your Will to value of no less than €500.

After a person is deceased, the process can take between 6 months to a year. However timescales can vary depending on the complexity and size of the deceased person's estate. If there is a Will in place and the estate is relatively straightforward, it can generally be completed within 6 months.