Abigail Cumsptone of Watkins & Gunn Solicitors warns
of the dangers of not using a specialist solicitor to draft your
Will …
Many organisations are now advertising to prepare
Wills more cheaply than your local
solicitors. However, comparing the service from a specialist firm
of solicitors with that offered by unqualified and unregulated Will
writers can be like comparing chalk and cheese.
There are no restrictions on who may draft Wills and
many will writers have no formal legal qualifications only speedy
training courses. Will drafting is complex and it can not be
learned overnight or on a weekend course. The Legal Ombudsman for
England and Wales has called for urgent action to be taken as
thousands of people claimed to have been ripped off by Will
writing companies. Many have parted with large sums of
money for Wills which often contain legal errors and are not worth
the paper they are written on and the only remedy is to see a
solicitor and make another will. Also the headline price being
offered by unregulated companies may not be the full amount you
will have to pay as there are often hidden "extras" which
inflate the overall price.
The introduction of the Legal Services Act this
October will open up the doors for new entrants into legal
services. Whilst the Scottish Government has recently legislated
for Will writers to be regulated, the rest of the UK is not yet
protected, leaving consumers open to poor quality Wills, sharp
sales practices and Wills being lost.
By going to a properly qualified, regulated and
specialist solicitor you have the piece of mind
that of knowing you will receive a professionally
drafted Will that will be safely stored
ensuring that your affairs will be properly dealt with after
your passing.