adeus Launches True Wills: Digital Protection Against Lost and Disputed Wills

‍LONDON, [18 February 2026] – adeus, a UK legal-tech company modernising will-writing and legacy planning, today announced the launch of adeus True Wills™, a breakthrough service that protects wills from being lost, tampered with, or disputed after death.

Paper wills can be misplaced, damaged, or questioned in court, often causing significant stress and costly legal disputes for families. adeus True Wills eliminates these risks by creating a permanent digital fingerprint of your will, secured using blockchain technology, whilst remaining fully compliant with current UK law.

‍"Making a will is one of the most important decisions we make, yet traditional paper wills are surprisingly vulnerable," said Nick Adams, CEO of adeus. "True Wills removes the uncertainty. Your will is permanently protected, clearly time-stamped, and impossible to alter. This gives you peace of mind today and protects your loved ones from unnecessary conflict when it matters most."

How True Wills Works Today

adeus True Wills works with your traditionally executed paper will, signed and witnessed exactly as required by current law. Once you've created your will through the adeus platform, a unique digital fingerprint is generated and permanently secured using adeus True Will Technology, built on blockchain.

Crucially, the will document itself is never stored on the blockchain, only the digital fingerprint. This ensures complete privacy whilst providing cryptographic proof of authenticity. If even a single character in the document changes, the fingerprint won't match, making fraud or forgery immediately detectable.

The result: families and executors have verifiable proof of your will's authenticity during probate, dramatically reducing grounds for disputes.

"We've deliberately abstracted the complexity from our customers," said Mark Hedley, COO of adeus. "People don't need to understand blockchain or cryptography. They simply create their will through our intuitive platform and receive an adeus True Will Certificate confirming that it's protected. Behind the scenes, sophisticated, secure technology does the heavy lifting, providing institutional-grade security wrapped in an experience that feels as simple as online banking."

Extending Protection Beyond adeus Customers

True Wills is an adeus trademark, and the company plans to make this protection available beyond its direct customers. The technology will be offered to independent will writers and solicitors, enabling them to provide True Wills protection to their own clients.

"For people with more complex needs who require expert legal advice, solicitors and will writers continue to do what they do best, taking instructions, drafting, and overseeing the signing of wills," said Hedley. "We take care of the rest, ensuring their clients' wills are protected with the same institutional-grade security."

Future-Proofed for Electronic Wills

England and Wales are preparing for the most significant modernisation of will-making since 1837. Following the Law Commission's May 2025 recommendations, electronic wills are expected to become legally valid in 2026.

adeus True Wills has been designed to work seamlessly when this legislation changes. While customers today create digital wills and execute them with traditional paper signatures, the same platform will support fully electronic will creation and signing once the new law takes effect, with no need to start over.

"We're building the infrastructure for electronic wills ahead of legislation, not reacting to it after the fact," added Hedley. "Our customers get the benefits of True Wills protection today, with the confidence that they're already positioned for the future."

The launch represents the first major product release from an innovation project supported by an Innovate UK Smart Grant, with additional products planned for release in the first half of 2026.

Solving a Growing Problem

Contested wills are rising in the UK, with disputes frequently arising over questions of authenticity, validity, tampering, or missing documents. True Wills addresses these issues by:

• Eliminating doubts about which version is latest through permanent time-stamping
• Preventing tampering through cryptographically locked digital fingerprints
• Removing risk of loss or destruction
• Providing clear, verified documentation for executors and courts

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"Paper wills leave room for doubt; True Wills removes it," said Adams. "This is about giving families certainty when they need it most."

About adeus

adeus (Mankind Technologies Ltd.) is a UK legal-tech company reimagining legacy planning for the digital age. Backed by an Innovate UK Smart Grant and supported by LawtechUK, adeus is pioneering digital-first infrastructure for wills and estate planning in England and Wales.

adeus Wills are currently available in England and Wales, whilst its broader legacy planning tools are used by customers across Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The company provides both direct-to-consumer services and white-label solutions for independent legal professionals, combining legal rigour, modern technology, and user-centred design to make protecting your legacy simple and secure.

For more information, visit www.adeuslife.com

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