I happened across this article in IFA Online the other day about regulation of estates lawyers in the UK. Essentially, their governing body has proposed making will drafting a “reserved” area of practice, so that only those lawyers with special expertise (and presumably added insurance) would be able to draft wills for clients.
I have blogged before about the perils of will kits. While I firmly believe that it is far better to have your will properly drafted by a lawyer, it is also important to ensure that the lawyer drafting your will regularly practice in the area of estate planning. I would be terrible at crafting a criminal defence; a family lawyer would be just as lost drafting a complex estate plan. If you are going to pay someone to draft your last wishes, be sure to find someone who does that for a living.
