Published on: 30th November 2020

Making a Will - choosing a Will Writer

Making a Will is the start of the Estate Planning process and although there are a number of additional documents that most need to consider, making a Will is considered the foundation of a good Estate Plan.

When it comes to making a Will there are a number of options and most people, when they decide  they need a Will, tend to either go online and try  and make a Will themselves, speak to their Solicitor to  see if they have someone in their firm who specialises in Will Writing, or speak to a specialist Will Writing and Estate Planning company like Casey & Associates. Naturally, we feel that a specialist Will Writing and Estate Planning company is the best option, but why?

Be very cautious with a DIY Will

There are occasions, although limited, where it may be appropriate for you to write a Will yourself, or use an online Will writing service. If you have uncomplicated circumstances then this could be a route to go down, but as soon as you have children, assets such as a house  or are perhaps on a second marriage, you should be looking to get your Will professionally drafted.

An analogy we like to use is MOT with cars – you need to go to a qualified mechanic to get your vehicle passing an MOT test so why would you risk potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds making a Will yourself when you can come to a professional who will make sure your Will is set out to distribute your assets as per your wishes in a tax efficient manner?

So why choose a Will Writer over a Solicitor?

The Consultants here at Casey & Associates  are members of the Society of Will Writers – the largest and leading self-regulatory body governing Will Writing and Estate Planning in England and Wales. Members are vetted through stringent membership requirements and need to undertake on-going training, which means that, as members of the Society of Will Writers, we need to be constantly training and evolving to maintain our membership. We are therefore much more likely to have up to date knowledge of legislation than those who are not regulated by the Society of Will Writers.

It is extremely important for us to keep up with legislative changes so we can give our Clients the best and most up to date advice. A recent example of this was the introduction of the Main Residence Allowance which came into effect on 6^th April 2017. We reviewed this legislation and made our Clients aware of the change, advising where appropriate if there was anything they needed to do based on their individual circumstance. We have, however seen instances where less well trained practitioners have created Wills that do not fully take advantage of the new Allowance.  

Another key reason for choosing Casey & Associates is the level of customer service we offer. Clients receive a free, no obligation review of their Will and circumstances every three years. This enables us to advise our Clients on what steps they should be taking with their Estate Plan, how changes in legislation may impact them or even if they do not need to make any changes at all! We also have a monthly newsletter which keeps our Clients updated on a range of topics that may apply to them. This gives our clients the piece of mind that their Estate Planning is being proactively looked after.

If you are looking to make a Will then we would recommend you act now. See the areas we cover and get in touch with our friendly team who will be happy to arrange an appointment with one of our Consultants.

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Our Covid-19 policy is now that if you wish to give instructions or require general information about our Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney or Trusts then we will carry out a telephone or Zoom appointment. However, if you wish to give instructions to one of our Consultants and you feel that you can only do this at a Face to Face meeting we are offering, at our Consultant’s discretion, a limited number of Face to Face appointments in most of the areas we normally cover (subject to Government advice). To see the areas we normally cover please click here.

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