Beneficial Trust & Will Co Ltd have raised professional standards in acquiring full accreditation from the Institute of Professional Will Writers (IPW).
In addition to their membership of the Society of Will Writers (SWW), the IPW accreditation means the Lincoln-based firm are one of only a few operating in the UK to have obtained dual membership of the organisations, both highly valued within the field.
The IPW are one of the foremost bodies for professional will writers and aim to protect the public from unethical business practice and unqualified practitioners in the field through self-regulatory means. The Institute, founded in 1991, has grown to become an accomplished and established body in regulation of the profession of will writing throughout the UK.
Similar in their regulatory objectives are the SWW, who also aim to provide professionals with accreditation to indicate their dedication and true appreciation of responsibility required in will writing. Their self-regulatory system reviews members through rigorous requirement tests as well continuing training.
Both organisations have individual codes of practice which members are required to comply with, with the IPW’s receiving approval from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme. This further provides clients with reassurance that the service offered is supported by professionals carrying extensive indemnity insurance.
As will writing was reviewed in 2013 by the Government as a profession that should remain unregulated following a Legal Services Board recommendation, both the IPW and SWW believe it is now more important than ever for the profession to unite and prove to its critics the benefits of self regulation in order to effectively ensure maintenance of the consumers best interests.
Amy Peters, Director of Operations commented on the importance of adherence to an approved code of practice in order to assure clients that their legal rights are upheld.
“Unfortunately, we have seen less scrupulous traders attempt to enter this profession and it is our intention to be able to provide a clear route for clients to access services that are delivered to the highest professional standards.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have successfully completed the IPW compliance process and hope this goes to further display our commitment to the delivery of the highest customer service standards.”
