Panorama – what we thought…

I was interested to view the BBC's Panorama program on Monday evening regarding Will Writers. Hopefully the program brought to the public's attention some of the horror stories probate practitioners come across when dealing with Wills prepared by Will Writers.

Solicitors have been calling for Will Writers to become regulated for sometime and I am optimistic last night's program will caution the public of some of the dangers of instructing unregulated Will Writers to draft their Wills.

I trust the program will also put pressure on the industry to become fully regulated so in future a situation cannot arise where unregulated and uninsured individuals or companies can prepare Wills. The preparation of your last Will and Testament is too important for it to be drafted by someone without the appropriate qualifications.

The public's general consensus is that solicitors are expensive, but when compared to the hidden costs of Will Writers, Solicitors charges are competitive with the added advantage of solicitors being fully regulated and able to advice clients on other services, such as Lasting Powers of Attorney or trust creation.

I am sure that my clients watching the program last night felt pleased that they had instructed a firm of solicitors to prepare and store Wills on their behalf. I would urge anyone who has concerns regarding a Will to have it reviewed to ensure it does what it is meant to do and also to offer piece of mind that there are no hidden costs to be met by their family upon their deaths.

Wards Solicitors offer a free Will review service and I would be happy to assist anyone who has concerns regarding their Will following the Panorama program.