Will-Writing, STEP demands proper protection for consumers

In response to the ongoing investigating into the need to regulate will-writing and the associated fields of probate and estate administration STEP* has published a very helpful leaflet stating their views and position.

The leaflet outlines;

• some of the current problems in the will-writing market
• what STEP is doing to give consumers confidence they are dealing with well-qualified, reputable practitioners
• how STEP plans to participate in future regulatory initiatives

An extract taken from the leaflet, which is titled ‘Building Consumer-Confidence in Will Writing’, states:

“Inevitably, the process of putting effective regulation in place for the will-writing and estate administration markets will take some time. In the meanwhile, the legal services market continues to change rapidly, not least with the arrival of alternative business structures widening the options for how legal services providers can be owned and potentially opening the way for an array of new entrants into the marketplace. STEP therefore decided early on that it needed to take measures to reassure consumers using STEP Members that they were dealing with practitioners with both proven standards of technical competence and a commitment to a strong professional code of conduct.”

The full leaflet can be found on http://www.step.org/pdf/WillWriting_WEB.pdf

At Pavilion Row all our client advisers, will drafters and probate administrators are qualified through STEP. We also follow and are committed to STEP’s professional code of conduct.

*STEP (The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) is the worldwide professional body for practitioners in the fields of trusts and estates, executorship, administration and related issues.