When the SWW was first
formed in 1994 it had a very
simple objective – To provide
a framework of support and
self-regulation for will writers.
Combined with this, we sought
to highlight the need for a will
amongst the general public. It had been said in the early
1990’s that an organisation like
ours would never work. This
did nothing but give us the
determination to press forward
and prove the nay-sayers wrong.
Our members now write in
excess of 250,000 Wills per year.
Since 1994 we have grown to
become the largest organisation
of our type. We provide support
and assistance to over 1600
members who span not only the
United Kingdom but across the
world. One thing that has changed over
the last 25 years is that we’ve
seen changes in the complexity in
the make up of someone’s estate.
It’s much more common for
someone to divorce and remarry,
we’re seeing blended families,
and
legislation
surrounding
estate planning has changed.
The need for professional advice
is much more apparent and our
members have risen to meet the
demands of the public.
We take pride in providing a voice
for our members when we meet
with leading industry stakeholders
like the Competitions and Market
Authority (CMA) or with the
Legal Services Board (LSB) and
have been involved in many
discussions surrounding the
regulation of Will writing – which
we expected in 2013.
Over the last 25 years we’ve
adapted, grown and developed.
It’s great to look back over the
achievements that the SWW
have made. Achievements like
launching a dedicated training
facility – the College of Will
Writing back in 2014, launching
a storage facility to ensure that
a Will could be stored safely
without the fear of it being lost
and of course providing a source
of information to members of the
public.
As well as reflecting on what has
been a rich history, we’re planning
well into the future too. The work
our
Professional
Standards
Board are doing will inform the
direction the SWW take over the
next 25 years. One thing we are
sure about is that we’ll continue
to drive the profession forward
through clear and transparent
membership requirements.
We’d like to issue a big ‘thank
you’ to our members for their
continued support and dedication
and encourage those that would
like to forge relationships with us
over the coming months to get in
touch.
We’re raising a glass to the next
25 years!
the society of will writers
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