Not all willwriters are qualified, professional body warns
29 Jan 2010
Britons have been urged to seek the advice of a trained
professional when looking to have a will drawn up in order to avoid
storing up problems for later on.
Research from the Fellowship of Professional Willwriters and
Probate Practitioners has revealed that many people were not aware
that anyone can set up a business and call themselves a willwriter,
despite the fact that they may not be suitably qualified.
A study of 1,018 people discovered that more than two-thirds
thought all willwriters were solicitors.
In fact, no legal background or separate qualifications are
required by law in order to be eligible to set up such a business
as the industry is unregulated.
Some 45 per cent of the respondents also said they felt confused by
the process surrounding having a will drawn up, resulting in 21 per
cent saying they would rather just write one themselves.
Rita Leat, president of the Fellowship of Professional Willwriters
and Probate Practitioners, said all the findings are quite
worrying.
"We cannot stress enough how important it is for consumers to be
aware of exactly who is dealing with their will," she
commented.
"People need to check the background of the person who is dealing
with their will to avoid difficulties for their family and loved
ones later."
Sarah Cooper, a specialist wills and probate solicitor and head
of the private client team at Hodge Jones & Allen, said: "It is
vitally important that everyone makes a will as it is the only way
to ensure that your wishes are complied with.
"At Hodge Jones & Allen our specialist team provides a
cost-effective will preparation service tailor-made to your needs.
Our team prides itself on a professional, high quality
service."
