The Society of Will Writers
The Society of Will Writers is a non-profit making self regulatory organisation which seeks to protect the public and serve the interests of those men and women who are active professionals in our field.
The Society of Will Writers was founded in 1994 by former Director General, Brian McMillan and 4 other business owners. The Society has since grown to become not only the largest but also the leading self-regulatory body governing Will Writers and Estate Planners alike. We have over 1,700 members across the UK, Central Europe and further afield in places such as Asia and Africa.
The Society has set itself two main tasks:
- To promote to the public at large the real need and sense in having a valid Will;
- To act as a self-regulatory body by vetting practitioners through stringent membership requirements, proficiency standards and ongoing training.
How do the Public Benefit from using Society of Will Writers Members?
- Members must carry out roughly 24 hours specialist training on Legal Planning every year – contrast that with some professionals who may have passed the topic at University 30 years ago, and done nothing since!
- Members must have Professional Indemnity Insurance to protect clients should they ever make a mistake.
- There is a special fund to deal with cases where the member responsible for the work dies, becomes incapacitated or is unable to continue in business. Such work on is passed to other members, and any fees already paid are taken off the final bill – if indeed there is one.
- The Society has its own College of Will Writing which runs basic and high level training courses throughout the year.
- There is an in-house team of Legal Consultants who support members when they come across situations where the options or technicalities are unusual or unduly complex.
- The Society has 20 Regional Groups around the country – Steve Pett has been the Regional Chairman of arguably the most active group – Sussex – for more than a decade.