Who is your Will Writer?
Are they trained?
The simple fact is that anyone
can write a Will? This means
that you can do it yourself…
Would you want to?
No, it can cause all sorts
of problems and expenses.
There are so many important
considerations that need
to be made and quite
often only someone who is
professionally trained will be
able to advise effectively.
Here at the Society of Will
Writers we recommend
using a professional to draft
your Will or other associated
legal documents. When we
use the term professional
we want to be very specific.
There are a lot of Will Writing
firms out there. We would
only recommend using a firm
or individual who chooses to
adopt a form of regulation or
self-regulation as this would
afford you added protection.
Solicitors are regulated by
4
the Solicitors Regulation
Authority, in the same way,
Will writers can choose to
become members of the
Society of Will Writers. Our
responsibility is to check that
those who apply are ‘safe to
do business with’. We don’t
just accept anyone. We
ensure that the professional
applying for membership
has professional indemnity
insurance, will adhere to
our Code of Practice and
continues to develop their
knowledge on a regular basis.
Without these basics the
products or services they are
providing would offer very
little assurance of quality or
security.
In the event that something
goes wrong or you aren’t
happy with the service
provided
there
is
an
accountability
process.
SWW members must have
a complaints procedure in
The Society of Will Writers
place and must aim to resolve
any complaints themselves in
the first instance. If they are
unable to resolve a complaint
then the SWW may get
involved and the complaint
may then be escalated to
our independent complaints
administration team
We keep records on our
members. This means that
even if they cease trading
then we will be able to
provide
information
on
where the documents they
produced may be stored or
what to do if amendments
were necessary. If the
individual was unregulated
this safeguard may not be
available.
In our profession there are
often changes in legislation
which alter how someone
will advise on an estate
plan. SWW members have
the support and knowledge
from our technical advisers.
Our board of advisers
keep us updated about the
implications of forthcoming
legislation and this is
communicated through our
membership. This means that
the advice that our members
provide is up to date and in
line with current legislation.
There is no guarantee that
an unregulated professional
will provide up to date advice
that perfectly suits your
circumstances.