Beware ‘overly simplistic’ online wills that can expose users to corruption
Twice as many people are using internet firms that promise quick and cheap wills
If you want to ensure your wishes are executed accurately, it’s worth investing in some more time and some legal advice
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Worse still, most of the new breed of will writers are not run by qualified solicitors
Hmm, what, you mean we don’t have to pay to get this into the Telegraph? Bonzer!
Lawyers make a lot more money from badly written documents than well written ones.
Contentious work is more lucrative than non-contentious drafting.
Not good for the client (who will be dead when the dispute arises) or the people left behind for whom he or she has left a mess
And yes, drafting is a difficult skill. Most people can’t do it well.
Was this written by a solicitor?
What Adrian said. Wills were my father’s bread and butter, and he had no end of trouble with badly-written ones (especially, here in Scotland, with people buying English write-your-own kits). Being that rarest of souls, a kind-hearted lawyer, he often didn’t charge for the extra work they caused, leaving him out of pocket.
I’m not saying you can’t do it yourself – I’m sure you could make your own paracetamol if you followed the recipe carefully enough – but it’s probably best left to people who know what they’re doing.
I would also comment that the worst will I have ever read was drawn up by a solicitor for my father, who was very experienced in reviewing legal documents from many years of working in merchant banking and venture capital. I struggled to understand it but since it only had one beneficiary – my mother – it was not a problem. I got my mother to go with me to a solicitor and get a new will. The result was much clearer but still had too much legalese for my liking – ie words that look like English but mean different things to lawyers. I still adhere to the KISS principle. We will see what emerges from the £30 will-writing service I am using for myself