The Society of Will Writers
Expat Wills is a member of The Society of Will Writers.
The Society of Will Writers (SWW) has over 3,000 members who are a mix of law firms and professional Willwriters.
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 has set itself two main tasks:
To promote to the Public at large the real need and sense in having a valid Will; and to act as a self-regulatory body by vetting practitioners through stringent membership requirements, proficiency standards and on-going training.
These are a public assurance of the members expertise and competence
CLIENT CHARTER
- The Charter sets out your rights as a client of a Member of the Society of WillWriters, and the Obligations that the Member has to you as a client.
- The member is covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance, and is obliged to provide you with proof of this if requested. The member is bound by The Society's code of conduct and disciplinary and complaints procedures, copies of which are available from the Society upon request.
- The member is obliged to provide a quotation - in writing if requested - of the price to be paid for the preparation of your will or Wills, including any extra costs that be incurred, before proceeding to prepare your Will or Wills. If more than one Will is to be prepared, the member is obliged to provide a quotation of the prices of both Wills either separately or as a set of Wills.
- The member is obliged to advise you of the length of time it will take to prepare your Will or Wills in either draft or finished form. The member is obliged to comply with these service standards or advise you in good time if there is any reason for the delay.
- You are entitled to a refund of any money paid in respect of preparation of your Will or Wills should you change your mind. However, if you have received your Will or Wills in draft or finished form then any refund is at the members discretion and may be subject to charges for work carried out at your instruction, except in the case of complaint duly investigated by The Society (see paragraph 7 below) where the member is found to be at fault in the whole or part in which case any refund will be at The Society's discretion.
- The member may suggest other goods or services that he or she may provide. You are under no obligation to purchase any goods or services in addition to your Will or Wills. If the member offers a discounted price for your Will or Wills provided you purchase other goods or services, then you are entitled to be informed of the prices of the Will or Wills both with and without the purchase of the additional goods or services.
- The member undertakes to maintain the strictest client confidentiality and not to pass your name to any other organisation without your express permission.
- If you have reason to complain about the service you receive from the member, you should first direct your complaint to the member who is obliged to deal with your complaint immediately. If you are not satisfied with the way in which the member deals with your complaint or if the complaint has not been dealt with, then you are entitled to complain to The Society of Will Writers who will undertake an investigation of your complaint. The Society will not normally investigate complaints about non-members, nor if the complaint was not directed to the member in the first instance. All complaints must be in writing.
If you have any comments about the Society or the Member, please write to:
The Society of Will Writers
Eagle House
Exchange Road
Lincoln
LN6 3JZ
Tel : 01522 68 78 88
The Society of WillWriters trusts you will be satisfied with the service you receive from the Member, and thanks you for deciding to have your Will(s) prepared by a Member of the Society.
PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY
All our members are required to carry Professional Indemnity Insurance. Presently our PII policies are held with Bradstock Insurance Brokers underwritten at Lloyds. Any given policy is only valid for one calendar year.
As soon as you have decided to make your Will – and the sooner the better! – you may prefer to discuss your personal affairs in the comfort and privacy of your own home. There are many Will Writing services advertised, but it is vital to choose one that is competent, professional and has the appropriate expertise and experience. All Society of Will Writers members go through a stringent vetting procedure and continuing training to ensure that they are suitable persons to properly write your Will. Any one can call themselves a Will Writer – you can even ‘do it yourself’ with a form from a well known stationers. But only a properly trained professional can ensure that your Will is correctly drafted. Home-made or badly drafted Wills can be just as bad (or even worse) than no Will at all.
Don’t be afraid to ask the Will Writer if he or she is a member of the Society. they will have a business card and you will see one of the sets of Designatory Letters awarded by the Society : Cmpn.SWW, FSWW, ASWW and MSWW and Affiliated Membership, are a demonstration to the public our standing in education and training. If your Will Writer cannot show this, think again.
Why risk your entire estate to be dealt with under a Will drawn up by anyone other than a trained professional.