Dennis Gardener is the Chairman of the Institute of Professional Willwriters, the self-regulatory organisation for wills and probate professionals.
With over thirty years of experience in prioritising customer service, Dennis is well placed to be part of a democratic organisation which puts its members and their clients first. In this interview, Dennis tells Today’s Wills and Probate about the benefits of being part of a voluntary body as well as his thoughts on the Law Commission’s proposals for digitisation.
What made you want to be a chairman?
I’m incredibly enthusiastic about helping people and meeting the needs of others, a message which underpins the position of IPW and IPSW. Whilst I didn’t initially set out to be a chairman, being on the Council for six years gave me an extensive insight into the roles of the team, and the importance of working collaboratively to drive progress. Staying modern is important, especially in light of consumer needs and the market itself. So when the role opened up, I saw it as an opportunity to meet these needs and provide my input, aiming to ensure that the Institute has a clear message and direction.
Developing the presence of the Scottish Estate Planning was also a priority for me when deciding whether I should take on the role. My will writing career began and continues to be in Scotland, so I felt that it was important to use my position and help put Scotland on the map.
Can you tell us about your background?
Although I’ve now been in the Scottish Wills and Estate profession for over thirteen years, my career began in hospitality. Having always enjoyed looking after people, managing hotels for over 30 years seemed like a natural path and simultaneously developed my passion for providing great customer service.
I took this with me into the will writing profession, retraining around 13 years ago to ultimately provide clients with peace of mind when consolidating their final wishes. I’m nosy by nature and want to ensure that when a need is established, it’s met to the highest standard. Being involved in a number of committees and groups over the years also helped me to build self-awareness and where my priorities lie; predominantly in wanting to give back.
What are the benefits of being an IPW member?
Whilst the Institute is largely regarded for the external accreditations it can provide, the most important benefit in my view is internal. As it’s owned by all members, each individual is collectively responsible; there’s a great sense that everyone wants to work together and encourage a greater level of care and professionalism.
In a profession which is unregulated, it’s essential to have standardisation. As well as providing consumers with peace of mind, it reassures them that a certain bar has been met. Where membership has been obtained, it shows that the professional has gone above and beyond what’s expected and demonstrates their attitude in wanting to provide the best level of service. As we prioritise the needs of the consumer, the membership process is selective; we want to ensure that their professional aims reflect those of the Institute as a whole. This has played a key role in driving us forward both individually and collectively.
The collective element of the IPW is essential and is potentially the most important feature for members in general. As a profession, will writing can, unfortunately, be isolating, so the support that members receive through the IPW can be significant on both a personal and professional level. As well as being a great place to gain advice, the forum provides professionals with a platform to simply engage with other estate planners and create a valuable connection – something which is important when you’re unsure who to talk to directly.
What the IPW’s aims and objectives for the next couple of years?
As an organisation, our main objective is to establish the needs of the consumer and ensure that our members are continually striving to meet them. This means that training is high up on our agenda. Our training arm – the Willwriting Academy Limited – have recently been accredited as a formal CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Provider; this means that as well as building personal skills, the training they provide can enhance members, formally, in a professional capacity. In light of the growth we’ve experienced in a short space of time, we also expect membership to increase further over the next couple of years. Setting a high standard from the offset ensures that we select the right people and sets the required standard from the earliest possible point.
Once more professionals understand this, along with the value that it holds for the consumer, membership is bound to increase.
How often does the IPW Council meet?
The Council meet at least four times a year to review our existing strategy and identify which areas could be improved upon. We also spend a lot of time dedicated to improving the experience of our members, discussing support accessibility as well as the methods of training we provide.
Weekly conference calls are also held every Monday to assess the previous week and keep an open dialogue with one another. In order to move forward effectively, communication plays an important role.
What are your thoughts on wills and probate going digital – particularly in relation to the proposals put forward by the Law Commission?
I think, whether you see the proposals as a positive or negative, they’re going to happen. With the growing shift towards technology in all aspects of life, there’s no point in sticking your head in the sand. Instead, I think it’s a matter of viewing things in a different way and establishing the best way to adapt. The online approach is bound to boost awareness and wills and improve levels of accessibility. Similarly, it’s likely to make things easier for people to make amendments to their will should circumstances change.
That said, there are obvious risks when things are not done in person, particularly when vulnerable or elderly clients are often involved. Implementing mechanisms to ensure that the will does indeed reflect the wishes of the person concerned will be crucial to this and has been highlighted as a concern among professionals. It is also important to consider other barriers, which may not necessarily relate to security. Given the very personal nature of consolidating final wishes, many consumers would prefer to speak to someone in person, particularly if their estate is complex. Although some wills may be very straightforward, most of the time they will involve bringing up issues which a client would rather forget, so, in that sense, estate planners are often providing a lot of personal guidance as well as advice in the professional sense.
It will be interesting to see how the online system moves forward. Whilst the benefits are clear, the need for robust safeguards are paramount in order to prevent the system from being abused. That said, it’s near impossible to create something that is without flaws from the offset, I imagine its development will be ongoing in order to find the balance between accessibility and protection.
How do we encourage new talent to enter the sector?
I think that any deficiency in new professionals entering the sector would be down to a lack of understanding. It’s surprising how many people still assume that a will must be drafted by a solicitor, and I believe there’s a real gap in awareness where this sector is concerned. People tend to train in estate planning in the latter half of their career, and I question whether that’s due to a lack of education as to the sector’s true extent.
However, I think that people are entering the profession from a greater variety of places now, especially in regard to succession planning and dealing with families. This has been one of the key sources of IPW member growth, especially given the level of guidance we provide to professionals who are entering the sector. One of the IPW’s key benefits to members is the dedicated support we provide to businesses just starting out, as well as those who are well established.
The IPW support the introduction of regulation to the sector; do you think that this will ever happen?
Given that it’s already in place in Scotland, I don’t think that regulation being brought in is unlikely. Again, it’s an aspect of the sector which so many consumers are unaware of, especially given the importance of consolidating one’s final wishes.
Whilst I think regulation is on the horizon, I think that it will take some sort of triggering event before any real action is taken. High-profile cases involving celebrity estates have definitely alerted consumers to the issue around regulation, but it might take a more serious incident before the government feel that intervention is necessary.
How do you become a member of the IPW?
We always recommend that prospective members speak to our team. As well as gaining a better insight into the organisation and our purpose within the industry, the team will also go through the different ways of joining. Whilst we know not everyone will have the same qualifications, we recognise that expertise can be obtained in other ways and will carefully assess the unique strengths of each individual. In some instances, this can mean that professionals are ‘passported’ in – it’s really assessed on a case by case basis.
Tell us about your Code of Practice became approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and what this means for members?
Knowing the reputability of Trading Standards and that consumers are familiar with the level of quality it ensures, we spent a lot of hard work developing the Code in order for it to meet the level required.
It’s a known and understood sign of quality and achieving it was a real milestone for the organisation. Rather than simply a standard that was recommended, members now have to adhere to requirements which were approved by a professional and recognised body.
For members, this standard is vital – not only in the professional sense but for providing a network of standardised support. In a sector which can be incredibly isolating, the need to continually refresh understanding and get to grips with the changes in the market is beneficial for both the individual as well as their practice.
Of course, one of the key benefits of the Code, and IPW membership in general is that it provides clients with reassurance. Not only do consumers need to be confident in the service their will writer is providing, but they also need to have that peace of mind that insurance is in place.
Choosing to use a member of the IPW can help to ensure that this is the case.
