Estates and family land: writing a will that survives the family

A large share of the property litigation in Lagos begins in a family, not a market. Land held for decades in a deceased parent's name, an agreement remembered differently by each child, a purported sale by one branch of a family without the consent of the rest.

The instruments that prevent this are ordinary. A validly executed will, properly witnessed and deposited where it can be found. Letters of administration obtained promptly rather than years later. Where land is genuinely family land, a documented record of who the accredited representatives are and what they are authorised to do.

Timing matters more than most people expect. Evidence decays: witnesses move, survey beacons disappear, and the person who knew where the documents were kept is the person who died.

We advise families on wills, probate, letters of administration and the sale of estate land, and we act for beneficiaries where an estate has already been dealt with improperly.