8 September 2014
Don't turn your Will into a Nightmare
Research by the Law Society revealed the risks the public are exposed to by using unregulated, unqualified and uninsured will writers. Our Wills and Probate expert, Susan Hartley explains why you should tread very carefully when making a will.
The Law Society's findings revealed badly drafted wills that render the deceased's estate wholly or partially intestate, poor tax planning and vanishing wills, as well as hidden charges which inflate the advertised price of the will.
There are so many cases of people that have had to turn to a solicitor for help after being left with what can only be described as nightmare wills by will writers, many of which are not worth the paper they are written on. This is a widespread trend and most worrying is that the victims are often unaware that their will writers are not regulated, nor is there any mechanism for complaint.
In many cases will writers advertise low cost wills, but then in reality the customer was given a much larger bill at the end of the process. The Law Society research also showed that in some cases, will writers were appointing themselves as executors and offering related legal services for which they were not trained or regulated, such as powers of attorney, obtaining probate, conveyancing and even tax advice, at an additional cost.
We would like to remind anyone wishing to write a will to seek the services of a solicitor, otherwise you run the risk of having a will which reflects nothing of your wishes. If you have already used a will writer we would recommend that you check the accuracy and suitability of the will with a solicitor before its too late.
Why not contact Susan Hartley who has a wealth of experience dealing with all aspects of Wills, Probate and Tax Planning.
