Hi Forum-ers,

Has anyone gotten a will drawn up in Basel and could recommend an attorney. My case is not super complicated, but I want to cover all eventualities!

Many thanks,

Are you looking to draw up a will according to Swiss law (where mandatory inheritance applies) or are y ou claiming Heimatrecht to settle your estate according to your own country's law?

If the latter, the easiest thing to do is to have the will drawn up in your home country, and see the Gemeinde notary to deposit a Heimatrecht declaration - a simple letter, handwritten, stating your intention.

Hi,

I hadn't thought that far ahead. I'm Irish and have recently separated from my life but I intend to live here in Switzerland. I want to draw up a new will and at the moment, the people involved are family in Ireland. So, I guess it is best to make one back there?

It depends on what you want.

Under Swiss law, you are not free to leave you assets as you wish; how your estate is divided among surviving relatives is defined in law. See the inheritance chart and explanation on pages 25-33 here:
http://www.bj.admin.ch/content/dam/d...eherecht-d.pdf

And here are a few threads on the subject:

Estate Planning / Will - Swiss Law

Inheritance laws in CH

Writing A Swiss Will

Inheritance claim

Compulsory inheritance the percentages?

Wills in Switzerland: avoiding Pflichtteil (Obligatory apportionment)

If you are not a Swiss citizen, you can claim Heimatrecht, thus allowing you to write your will according to your own country's laws, settle your estate in whatever way you wish.

But if you are a Swiss citizen, you must follow Swiss inheritance law.

Writing a will might be a little late for you

To respond to the OP I can recommend Gabrielle Grether - http://www.gmacg.com for legal help. She has a lot of experience of dealing with expats.

Cheers,
Nick

Nice one. I just realised my typo. This message has come from the other side of the grave. That should have been wife, not life!