Another View of Will Writing

A film buff might be aware of this exchange between Ransom Stoddard and Maxwell Scott in the 1962 movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance: ‘you’re not going to use the story, Mr Scott?’ To which the retort from Maxwell Scott the newspaper editor was ‘No, sir, this is the west sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend’.

As we are a specialist will writing firm, we saw the Panorama show. It was good entertainment; it’s not for me to question the quality of the journalism. There are certain points to be made. A few crooks were exposed. Bad apples exist in this industry as they do in every other. There is need for greater regulation.

Say no more about the firm Willmakers of Distinction – the criminality involved was clear to see – the prison sentences are eloquence enough. Harold Shipman existed – it was a real tragedy for every one of his victims and their families, but Shipman does not make every family doctor a murderer. Fred West did not make every builder struggling or prosperous a psychopathic killer. Long ago, colleague of mine represented a nursery school teacher in court – the teacher was charged with stealing earrings from her pupils. This teacher as poor as an example of her profession and vocation, she was did not deter the good folk of this nation from sending their children to school. The firm Willmakers of Distinction in its wilful criminality fails to represent the whole industry.

There are 2 main points at which the journalism is weak – on the whole like conveyancers, will writers do a decent job for the client, the specialism and the shorter training times involved create completion for solicitors, in fact breaking the strangle hold of the solicitors on conveyancing and will writing and respectively. Industry bodies such as the Institute of Professional Will Writers and the Society of Will Writers are at the forefront of devising regulation for the profession. Solicitors have an interest in bashing will writers. Will writers are much cheaper than solicitors.

The second point at issue is that the TV show made great play of the promotional method used by some will writing firms of offering a very cheap will as a ‘foot in the door’ to sell more expensive services – this is a ‘loss leader’ or ‘introductory offer’ – a basic marketing technique taught all over the world from your local comprehensive economics class to Harvard Business School and practiced in every industry. I do not seek to provide a refuge for high pressure sales tactics or dishonest sales methods. Most reasonable people would not object in a point of sale demonstration or illustration as long as it was clear, open truth full and honest – and it was not seeking to provide a solution to a problem that did not exist.

Why is the incidence of mumps, measles and rubella higher in this country than it should otherwise have been? A certain doctor created a scare story regarding a link between the vaccine and autism – parents believed him, vaccination rates fell, and we have far more sick children – a poor outcome for the kids, their families and the nation as a whole. It can only be hoped that the incidence of intestacy did not increase because people were scared off making a will on account of this piece of journalism.

Ade is an experienced Estate Planners.

Category: Personal Finance Tips