Beware of unregulated will writers
Research published recently shows that a worrying 67% of consumers wrongly believe that all will writers are solicitors, when in fact they are not. The survey also revealed that 82% assumed that training and qualifications are required before someone can become a will writer.
The truth is that anybody can set themselves up as a will writer with no qualifications or training what so ever. A badly drafted will can lead to confusion and disputes which is liable to result in unnecessary distress and potentially massive legal costs.
Martyn Brown, solicitor at Wirral law firm Integrum Law warns consumers “There really is no substitute for a properly and professionally drawn up will and for that you need to see a solicitor . We wouldn’t take our pets to an unqualified vet or trust our life savings to an unregulated bank, so why would we gamble with our wills”.
Because will writers, unlike solicitors, are unregulated there is no guarantee that they will have had any training at all; and if they do not carry proper insurance you may have no come back if things go wrong.
Martyn concludes “my advice is that if you have made a will with a will writer you should get it looked at by a solicitor sooner rather than later and if you are considering making a will you should see a solicitor, do not take a chance on will writers or on a do-it-yourself will. Either way it could leave you or your loved ones in difficulty”.
