What To Expect From A Will Writing Consultation

5th September 2013 : By Jason Cherrington

Whilst statistics can differ, the majority of surveys carried out in recent years have indicated that around 60 to 70 percent of the UK population have not made a will. There are many reasons why people may put off making a will. Back in April of this year I wrote an article about this very subject entitled "Whats Your Excuse" a link to which can be found at the bottom of this post.

Out of the many reasons given, one that stands out for me is that quite simply people just don't like thinking about the subject. So if you have overcome this particular obstacle and are now considering ticking the box that ensures your loved ones are protected in the way you would specifically wish. It is important to get the right advice and support so that unless you experience any major changes in life you don't have to keep revisiting the subject.

This being said I do find in most cases that once my clients have been taken through the process correctly, they become far more knowledgeable on how it all works, with their minds at rest they feel more confident to discuss the matter again when the need arises.

Whoever you decide to write your will for you, the purpose of this post is to make you aware of what you should expect from your consultant and how it all works. Whilst I can not vouch for other Will Writing and Estate Planning Consultants, below is the process that I follow at Mind at Rest Wills.

The Consultation Process

The First Step

Whether carried out face to face via a home visit or over the telephone, the consultation and advice process is free of charge and done on a non obligation basis. It is done this way because in order to be able to make a will a client needs to have the opportunity to talk about their individual circumstances and future wishes and gather information so that they can make an informed decision on if and how they would like to proceed.

From Then On

If a client then decides they want to proceed, A Will instruction detailing the clients specific requirements is completed, the client is provided with a full receipt for the fees they have paid for the will writing process, a terms of business letter is given to the client providing them with written conformation on how the process works including areas such as the 7 day cooling off period , cancellation options and indemnity information.

From the date the will instruction is taken, the client enters a 7 day cooling off period, during which they are entitled to cancel the instruction and receive a full refund. The main purpose of the cooling of period is so a client has the time to think about their instruction further as they may wish to alter some of the details originally given in the instruction such as changing their chosen executors or beneficiaries.

Once the cooling off period has passed and the client has been contacted to confirm they still wish to proceed and if there are any changes, a draft will is created and presented to the client so that they can check their wishes have been noted correctly.

Once the client has confirmed that the draft will is correct, a fully bound Will is produced and in most cases, because this is the way we prefer it to be done, the Will is hand delivered along with information on how to ensure the Will is correctly signed and witnessed to ensure that it is legal. In addition to this the client is provided with further information to pass to their chosen executors so that they are aware of what the role of an executor entails.

Finally the client is made aware that should they have any future questions relating to their will, we are always on hand and happy to assist them.

Summary

I hope you a found some useful points to look out for to ensure you are receiving the right information and service levels from your chosen consultant. It is important you ensure that you are given the opportunity to ask any questions that you have in relation to making a will and your wishes for your estate. You must also being given as much time as you need to make your decision, this is a must as everyone's situation is likely to be different and so is the way in which people process the information they receive.