Will Writers

Fern Wills & LPAs work well with other Will Writers and Estate Planners. As members of the SWW, we meet up, share best practices, and give each other help and advice.

Other great Will writers are not a threat. Dodgy cut-price Wills, flawed DIY Wills, customers not doing anything, and unscrupulous sales practices are the real threats to our industry.

Caseload

It only takes a few delayed or more significant cases or a week off sick for a Will Writer to fall behind with the caseload. Fern Wills & LPAs may agree to advise and inform the customer, take over a case, and provide a finder's fee. Nothing is ever added to the customer's price; Fern Wills & LPAs absorb the costs.

Home Visits - Fern Wills & LPAs

Some private client consultants, will writers, estate planners, and solicitors may not offer home visits. Even if they do, their service area is often limited to a specific radius around their office, making more extended travel impractical. Fern Wills provides home visit services to avoid losing clients or forcing them into uncomfortable situations. A finder’s fee or similar arrangement can be quickly established to ensure that clients receive the services they prefer.

Retiring/ relocating Will Writers

Retiring will writers have several options when they decide to retire or relocate from the area where their loyal clients live. Retirement can be costly for ethical will writers, as they must continue paying for insurance until their death. Alternatively, they may need to pay for enhanced insurance known as "run-off insurance," which can cost several years' worth of premiums. If they fail to maintain this coverage and their clients do not continue to receive sound advice, the retired will writers may face the risk of a claim.

Option a) Do nothing, hope it will be fine, and expose yourself, family and the client to risks.

Option b) Sell the business if it has clear records and is an SWW or IPW-compliant company. Fern Wills & LPAs are positioned to discuss these businesses' potential buy-out.

Option c) Have run-off insurance. Sell the client database to Fern Wills and LPAs in a GDPR-compliant way.

Option d) As above, retain all records and pass new and returning enquiries to Fern Wills & LPAs on a case-by-case basis, knowing that they will receive 5-star service at reasonable prices for a finders fee.

Price disparity clients.

Some clients may be unable to afford the prices of solicitors or some Southern-based will-writing companies. Due to the cost of living, for example, London-based companies charge considerably more. 

Clients of these companies often inquire if their friends or relatives/ executors/ attorneys in the Midlands can also receive assistance. To maintain goodwill and avoid losing a client, referring a lead to a Midlands-based Will Writer such as ourselves is beneficial. This client-focused approach ensures that your existing clients receive excellent service at competitive Midlands prices.

Case Study: Self-stored client Documents.

Willwriter Brian is now in a care home and suffers from dementia. He had almost 1000 original documents in storage at his house, and all clients paid an annual fee for the service. Upon realising the severity of his illness, he sent all of the original documents back to his clients, instructing them to cancel their standing orders. Approximately 20% of these came back to him marked “address gone away”, these 200 or so documents were boxed and ignored, most of which were still paying a standing order. Once Brian had gone into care, his daughter came across the boxes of original client documents, and she now faces the responsibility of dealing with active clients who she can’t get in touch with due to incorrect addresses. She will have to maintain an indemnity insurance policy if any claim is made against Brian's estate. If this situation sounds familiar or potentially could be, please contact us, as we can assist you in ensuring that the best is done for your clients and your family.

Case Study: Free rewrites

Will writer Andrew was a sole trader offering storage and free rewrites to his clients for over 20 years – he had over 4000 clients paying by standing order for varying amounts each year. Unfortunately, his health started to deteriorate quickly, and due to the fact he had offered free rewrites to his clients, no one wanted to take on his client bank as a Will writer due to the huge responsibility. Furthermore, due to the payments being taken by standing order, they couldn’t be transferred to another receiving account and as the sole trader account would close upon the death of Andrew. His family were a little disappointed to find that the value of his client bank had all but vanished and that they were faced with the liability of storing the client files and maintaining indemnity insurance in case there was a claim against Andrew’s estate for negligence. If this situation sounds familiar or potentially could be, please get in contact, as we would be able to assist you in ensuring that the best is done for your clients and your family.