Consumers are being warned about an influx of unregulated will writers attempting to invade the country’s legal service market.
The ‘cowboy writers’ are causing a series of problems throughout the sectors, with the Law Society warning the public to be careful of invalid wills and writers falsely installing themselves as executors on estates.
According to the Society, qualified solicitors have seen an increase in invalid and badly drafted wills in the past year. In some instances, documents have disappeared after will writing companies went insolvent, and family members have been left out of wills against the wishes of an estate’s owner.
"This is a widespread trend," said Law Society President, Robert Heslett. "We hear many stories of unregulated, uninsured will writers misleading too many people as to their supposed but absent expertise."
"What is most worrying is that their victims are often unaware that their will writers are not regulated, nor is their any mechanism for complaint."
Earlier this month, a report by Lord Hunt warned consumers of a growing "fringe legal market," concerned with will writing, probate work and claims handling.
"I perceive a serious breach of both the public and the consumer interest in any area of activity that looks or ‘smells’ like a reserved activity but is allowed to go unregulated," read the report.
In order to avoid pain or financial loss in the future, consumers are being urged to get full disclosure of a service’s credentials before approaching them with a will or other probate work.
