Cost of Will

dont_use_vistaprint

Hi an elderly relative has asked me to sort this and given me an advert froma local paper that is a  legal will writer in the local village. They will visit and doit and charge £150 for a single will.

Does this add anything from just doing it herself. Its a very simple will to leave everything to children.

I also realised I need one myself , should we use a legal will writer or solicitor ? or DIY 

WHats the simplest / safest way to do this without extra costs

Thanks

Brie

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

Keep_pedalling

Unless your estate is very small with no property involved, then you should use a local solicitor. They are the only people drafting wills who are actually regulated, so if the make an error your beneficiaries have some comeback. For more complicated estates such as those that involve blended families the make sure they are STEP qualified.

Anyone can set up as a will writer, no qualifications required, ant they will often try and upsell things like trusts.

You both also need to look as LPAs but you can DIY those.

dont_use_vistaprint

Brie said:

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

Thanks

Yes Ive googled her, she is a qualified lawyer and member of The Society of Will Writers and has very good testimonials, she seems to focus on the at home service for elederly people and says she also  provides document storage for £25 per year  per will and probabe serice through the Society of Will Writers.

Emmia

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Brie said:

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

Thanks

Yes Ive googles her, she is a qualified lawyer and member of The Society of Will Writers and has very good testimonials, she seems to focus on the at home service for elederly people and says she also  provides secure document storage and a full probate service through the Society of Will Writers.

She's a qualified lawyer, but not a practising solicitor? Or Barrister? Have you looked her up on the law society website?

I personally wouldn't use someone who was working as a "will writer"  and a member of the society if will writers whether legally qualified or not.

GrumpyDil

I would be asking her on what basis she is referring to herself as a qualified lawyer as lawyer simply means someone who provides legal services. In this case I assume she means through her membership of the association of will writers rather than the more traditional route of being a solicitor, barrister or member of the institute of legal execs.

I'm slightly cynical now, having come across a will writing firm recently who tried to make themselves the executors of a will by referring to a website. Given a website doesn't exist as a legal entity and that they never explained the potential implications to the person asking for the will I wasn't impressed.

user1977

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Brie said:

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

she also provides document storage for £25 per year per will 

That's a nice earner - imagine how much rent the average filing cabinet could produce! Solicitors will generally store wills for free.

Or the government will store them for a one-off charge of £23: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/store-a-will-with-the-probate-service/how-to-store-a-will-with-the-probate-service

user1977

Emmia said:

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Brie said:

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

Thanks

Yes Ive googles her, she is a qualified lawyer and member of The Society of Will Writers and has very good testimonials, she seems to focus on the at home service for elederly people and says she also  provides secure document storage and a full probate service through the Society of Will Writers.

She's a qualified lawyer, but not a practising solicitor? Or Barrister? Have you looked her up on the law society website?

I personally wouldn't use someone who was working as a "will writer"  and a member of the society if will writers whether legally qualified or not.

From her website it appears to mean she got a law degree in 1995 but didn't subsequently practise as a lawyer.

RAS

Emmia said:

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Brie said:

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

Thanks

Yes Ive googles her, she is a qualified lawyer and member of The Society of Will Writers and has very good testimonials, she seems to focus on the at home service for elederly people and says she also  provides secure document storage and a full probate service through the Society of Will Writers.

She's a qualified lawyer, but not a practising solicitor? Or Barrister? Have you looked her up on the law society website?

I personally wouldn't use someone who was working as a "will writer"  and a member of the society if will writers whether legally qualified or not.

So she makes nearly as much storing the will for one year as HMCTS do storing it for the whole life?

If you've seen the number of people on here who are chasing a will stored made by a loved one whose solicitor has closed down....... At least the Law Society will know where the files have been transferred, even if it takes time to locate the deceased's specific file.

There is no such safety net for those who use will writers. If the will writer goes out of business, no-one knows what happened to the files. 

The vast majority of families are perfectly capable of executing a will themselves, and can always seek specialist advice if needed, at a fraction of the cost or appointing the will-writer as executor. Using the services of a lawyer or will writer to undertake probate is vastly more expensive than using family executors and usually takes a lot longer. Again see the threads about delays on here.

Emmia

user1977 said:

Emmia said:

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Brie said:

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

Thanks

Yes Ive googles her, she is a qualified lawyer and member of The Society of Will Writers and has very good testimonials, she seems to focus on the at home service for elederly people and says she also  provides secure document storage and a full probate service through the Society of Will Writers.

She's a qualified lawyer, but not a practising solicitor? Or Barrister? Have you looked her up on the law society website?

I personally wouldn't use someone who was working as a "will writer"  and a member of the society if will writers whether legally qualified or not.

From her website it appears to mean she got a law degree in 1995 but didn't subsequently practise as a lawyer.

I'd argue that if she has no SQE, LPC or BPC she has no right to call herself a qualified lawyer.


I've nearly completed a LLM.(Which is a higher level qualification than an LLB or a BA in Law) I will not be (and wouldn't claim to be) a qualified lawyer. 

GrumpyDil

Emmia said:

user1977 said:

Emmia said:

dont_use_vistaprint said:

Brie said:

She (& you) might want to consider getting a will done for free by a solicitor using one of the charity routes.  As I understand it the charity fronts the cost of the will (I've been quoted around £400) and then the solicitor will add something so that the charity gets money back when the individual dies.

This is just one of many....
Free will writing service | British Red Cross

Yes you can DIY it which might work as long as it's completely simple but I don't know how you would then register it.  Meanwhile have you googled this local will writer to see if they are actually trained to do the job?  

And the extra costs can come in much later if the executor(s) aren't the right people.  Obviously having a solicitor as executor can be very expensive and many people suggest avoiding that.  

Thanks

Yes Ive googles her, she is a qualified lawyer and member of The Society of Will Writers and has very good testimonials, she seems to focus on the at home service for elederly people and says she also  provides secure document storage and a full probate service through the Society of Will Writers.

She's a qualified lawyer, but not a practising solicitor? Or Barrister? Have you looked her up on the law society website?

I personally wouldn't use someone who was working as a "will writer"  and a member of the society if will writers whether legally qualified or not.

From her website it appears to mean she got a law degree in 1995 but didn't subsequently practise as a lawyer.

I'd argue that if she has no SQE, LPC or BPC she has no right to call herself a qualified lawyer.


I've nearly completed a LLM.(Which is a higher level qualification than an LLB or a BA in Law) I will not be (and wouldn't claim to be) a qualified lawyer. 

I'd partially agree as I'd saying having a CILEX registration would count. That said I have an LLB Hons and LPC but never managed to get a training contract so would never consider calling myself a lawyer (qualified or not).