Will Aid: Get a free will in November

sloughflint

Strapped wrote: »

But as ever, it's a case of "buyer beware".

Oh yes,in the will-writing industry more than ever:rolleyes:.

Looking back through the thread, views are certainly very divided on the merits of this scheme.

I certainly think a mention in the OP of possible things for the unwary to watch out for might be beneficial if a new thread is started next year.

dobbiesloan

last updated november 2008... Why is this in the new DEALS section?

bullet21

Having read some of the posts re the WillAid scheme and I thought I would add my own 2 cents into the mix.

The WillAid scheme suggests a donation of £75 for single Wills and £110 for joint (i.e. married couple/civil partners) Wills. This is the fee that my Firm would normally charge for basic Wills. I am dismayed to see some people who think it is an excuse to get a Will drawn up for £10/£20. The participating solicitors will spend a lot of money publicising the scheme and meeting with clients normally takes between half an hour and an hour. The advice that solicitors can give people regarding their affairs can prove invaluable in relation to how any children are cared for and how the persons estate is distributed. Those who would qualify for Inheritance Tax can dramatically reduce the amount of tax payabale on the back of sound advice from their solicitor. Paying between £75-£110 to CHARITY is a small price to pay so I would urge people not to take the mick. Use WHS Smith online Wills if you feel differently and see where that gets you.

In relation to the advantages to the solicitor it is correct that the solicitor will commonly "administer the estate" (i.e. ingather all of the deceased's estate and pay out the funds according to the Will). This involves a lot of work and is a complicated process. By all means, if you are capable of drafting the various forms and contacting the various orgnaisations to inform them of the death etc then you can (notwithstanding the pressure that some solicitors may apply) carry out the administration yourself. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO USE THE SOLICITOR WHO HOLDS YOUR WILL TO ADMINISTER THE ESTATE. Also, hopefully a new client who has their Will drafted and is happy with the quality of the work carried out will refer others and maybe come back when they are selling their house etc.

Comments like "And they'll reclaim the cost of doing so, along with the cost of the Will, done for free, and the cost of storing it, done for free and a shed load of profit from your estate." are nonsense for the most part. Rather than bashing the solicitor why don't you phone a solicitor and ask what the charges are? If you are not happy with what you are told then go elsewhere. If you feel the charges administered are excessive/unfair you can complain and ask your local court to audit the work carried out.

It seems to me that a lot of people adopt this antiquated notion of solicitors scheming to get money from people and this may be the case for some but I would like to think that people are more aware of what they are entitled to and will go elsewhere if they don't feel like they are being treated fairly.

Will Aid is a good scheme and provides the impetus for people to get their affairs in order. It has its advantages for all parties concerned so all you have to do is make sure you are completely happy with the level of service and costs involved.

Strapped

bullet21 wrote: »

In relation to the advantages to the solicitor it is correct that the solicitor will commonly "administer the estate" (i.e. ingather all of the deceased's estate and pay out the funds according to the Will). This involves a lot of work and is a complicated process. Depends on the Will! By all means, if you are capable as I'd imagine 99% of MSE users are... of drafting the various forms and contacting the various orgnaisations to inform them of the death etc then you can (notwithstanding the pressure that some solicitors may apply) carry out the administration yourself. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO USE THE SOLICITOR WHO HOLDS YOUR WILL TO ADMINISTER THE ESTATE. Also, hopefully a new client who has their Will drafted and is happy with the quality of the work carried out will refer others and maybe come back when they are selling their house etc.

I agree that this scheme is a good one - I used it last year - but your post is self-defeatist in that it tends to confirm that solicitors like to make everything seem complicated and scary!

ETA: just to make it clear, my comments in the quote are in red.

monkey_spank

bullet21 wrote:

In relation to the advantages to the solicitor it is correct that the solicitor will commonly "administer the estate" (i.e. ingather all of the deceased's estate and pay out the funds according to the Will). This involves a lot of work and is a complicated process.

This is the standard line from every solicitor who draws up Wills and is complete rubbish. In most cases it is a very straightforward process.

I wonder if the nice charitable solicitor also tells the client that if the family want to administer the estate themselves they cannot force the 'professional' to step aside when the time comes. I don't think so somehow.

bullet21

"This involves a lot of work and is a complicated process."

Granted, if the deceased's estate is small and the Will is simple then it probably won't be too complicated to administer. Perhaps I should have said it can be a complicated proces but my point is that solicitors have all the means/knowledge at their disposal to administer estates quickly and efficiently and they know what to look out for. If, for example, you have to write to 5 separate banks, 2 insurance companies, the local council, the pensions service, deal with companies re direct debits etc and place the deceased's house on the market for sale this simple task can turn into something less simple.

Its not about making things complicated and scary. Its about putting across the kind of work involved. If people are better informed about what is required for administering an estate then they can make a more informed choice. And yes there will be some solicitors who aren't forthcoming with the options but I would hope that they are in the minority.

Curv

bullet21 wrote: »

Use WHS Smith online Wills if you feel differently and see where that gets you.

I completely take on board your comments about clients not abusing the charitable nature of solicitors who are participating in the scheme, and am intrigued as to what you meant by the above. Please would you clarify it for me?

penny41

have just contacted my nearest solicitor, they said it works like this i would leave a donation in my will and they get paid by the charity! :cool:
i did not read it like that off martins site, i understood you made a donation yourself
trying to call directly busy!!!!!!!
what experience are other people getting?

penny:rolleyes:

jacqhale

I have contacted 2 solicitors nearby and both have said they won't proceed before i give them the cheque for £110. There doesn't seem to be a discretionary amount. I asked if we could make a smaller donation now and more in our will as we are a bit strapped at the moment but they said no. I have contacted a third and waiting to hear back.
I suppose it's cheaper than paying normally but it's not really how I read it in the original post.
However we do need to get a will sorted and this seems like a good scheme as it goes to charity so will probably go ahead.

Little_Vics

same here - our local solicitors won't do it for less that £110 and we pay them directly. I'm not convinced that this is the best way forward to be honest.