A survey was made in behalf of the Fellowship of Professional Will Writers and Probate Practitioners, which established that 67% of consumers are under the opinion that all will writers are lawyers. This is not true.
Even more worrying, is that 82% of clients presumed that Will Writers had proper education and aptitude. Fraudulent will writers can easily take advantage of unsuspecting clients who are left with no hope for recompense.One such Will Writer, who was not a solicitor, was jailed for 8 years at Bristol Crown Court in October last year. He advertised himself as a financial consultant with a "home wills" business.
His victims are usually widows who have no heirs whom he convinces to make him the facilitator of their wills. He was able to rip off £800,000 from 3 of his customers. The money intended for charity and caring for the sick, was instead rerouted to his own account.Honest will writers are supposed to adhere to the following rules of thumb: the should be practicing solicitors, they are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority; and they should be capable to provide a minimum amount of £2,000,000 for indemnity. The price of having a Will prepared by your solicitor will vary based on the level of attention you require. It is possible to have Wills done on line with lawyers, Wills through the mail, or a intricate bespoke Will with Inheritance Tax advice as well.
In another case, the news of a mother and children being denied a portion of their son’s and father’s estate rams home the perils of not keeping your Will bang updated.
What he believed was a simple agreement between him and his alienated wife led in his other relatives being disinherited. The man made the error of not conferring with his solicitor for possible effects when he made his agreement with his former wife.
Constantly ask for your solicitor’s advise when making modifications in your will. Advices like this are free of charge. The reality is that with some simple provision you could relieve your loved ones from the involuntarily, albeit unconscious, financial repercussions of your inaction. Solicitors have expended many years building up a huge bank of trust with the populace. Are you willing to risk having your will done by a person other than your solicitor?
