Some people understandably believe that they will get a superior product and service if they use a solicitor rather than a local professional Will Writer. However, a Will is either legally valid or it is not, whether it is provided by a solicitor or a local Will Writer. A qualified solicitor is accountable to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), so you should ensure that any local Will Writer whose services you are considering is also accountable to a regulatory organisation such as the Society of Will Writers, etc. That way, you can be assured that the local Will Writer you wish to use is properly qualified, insured, and accountable in case of any problems.
The following issues have all been relayed to us by our clients having previously dealt with a solicitor firm for matters such as Wills, Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), Probate, Trusts, and Estate Planning.
Financial Pressure
A High Street solicitor offering Wills is usually also a “general practitioner” in various other aspects of the law. There is constant financial pressure upon most solicitor firms to cover all their overheads, so their priority will always be higher fee generating clients. Wills and their associated services do not usually fit into this category for solicitor firms, despite these services being comparatively expensive to the public via a solicitor firm.
Opportunism
Some solicitors regard Wills as merely a loss leader which will hopefully generate much more lucrative Probate work upon a death. This has led in the past to some firms encouraging unnecessary Probate work for clients, and/or charging many thousands of pounds, which then helps to cover their comparatively high office overheads.
Wall of Silence
It is not uncommon for solicitors to adopt an unwritten agreement to avoid ever having to take punitive action against one another. Therefore, if they fail to serve their clients’ best interests, they enjoy an additional hidden layer of protection knowing that other solicitor firms may well be reluctant to pursue them on behalf of a disadvantaged former client if poor service has been provided.
Summary
Although there are some very reputable and well-meaning solicitors, provided you use a suitably qualified, insured and experienced local professional Will Writer, not only will you save money in fees due to their more manageable financial overheads, but you should also benefit from secure and effective quality products and services.
For further details WITHOUT fear of consultation fees or obligation, then please visit TRF Wills.
TRF Wills (TRF) was created by Michael Cotterill in 2005. He is a member of the Society of Will Writers and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.