When Solicitors, etc. offer "Free Wills"

trulys

Something that has occurred to me, having been offered a free Will service recently... beware that most firms offering this service will automatically add themselves as an Executor 'as part of their service to you'. This is highlighted elsewhere on this website on an article about making Wills, but I thought it good to point it out here again, as I very nearly didn't think of it and would have been caught out.

In theory, this means that the firm appointed as Executor will most likely end up dealing with the estate/probate process, and end up earning themselves a nice little fee out of it all.

Fees for dealing with probate can vary, but certainly aren't cheap. I would think a lot of estates can easily be handled personally by relatives without the need for legal assistance, and for those who can't they can obviously instruct a solicitor should they choose to do so. At least by not tying yourself in to the firm who prepared the Will, you are giving your relatives the opportunity to give the estate/probate process a go and save themselves money.

scotsbob

Writing a will also gives the solicitor information about finances which is then used to try to sell insurance policies, investments etc. All providing commission for the solicitor.
Always ask the question "how much does it cost if it's free?"

John_Pierpoint

I think solicitors should still charge a fee and then rebate any commission to the punter?

Just make sure that if you are the executor you demand the will and a certified copy or two when the time comes and then you only need to pay for advice as needed. These days the Land Registry has the legal paperwork in most cases, check their web site's map, and old documents stored "with the deeds" at the solicitor are likely to be redundant; though they can help as sales aids for persuading potential buyers..

But you do need to be tough and methodical when the time comes and to realise your own limitations as an executor. Issues like tax make a difference of thousands if you get the arbitrator rules wrong; if there is a house and/or sizeable (£325k +) asset values..