A will is one of the most important documents that you will ever write. However, more than 2/3 of the population do not have them and those that do can’t be sure that they have ensured that their will has been drafted correctly.

There are an alarming amount of people who have bought DIY packs from stationery stores and have them kept at home. There is now also a booming will writing industry that currently does not have any regulation at all. This has left it open to the less than scrupulous. This has been the subject of a recent Panorama program.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tfqqj/Panorama_Wills_the_Final_Rip_Off/

Whilst not all will writers must be tarred with the same brush, it is becoming an increasingly common story that those offering will writing services are at best confusing their clients and possibly selling unneeded products and at worst being fraudulent.

There is a misconception that getting a solicitor to draft your will will be an expensive venture. This is simply not true. If you require a simple will then the fee incurred will be in the region of £100. Obviously more complex requests such as the formulation of a trust will be more intricate and will attract a greater fee.

In fact, not only do you receive value for money compared with the service supplied by a will writer but you will also receive the peace of mind that accompanies any dealings with a solicitor. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (“SRA”), they have professional indemnity insurance and there is also the safety net of the Compensation Fund which is run by the SRA.

Will writing is currently unregulated and therefore there is no monitoring of practice and service. You are therefore much safer in attending your local solicitor for advice you can trust.

- Laura