Thursday September 02 2010

Welcome to the
Institute of Professional Willwriters
and the
Institute of Scottish Professional Willwriters

Have you seen the BBC Panorama programme about Willwriters?

Click here to learn about the safeguards that the IPW has in place to ensure that consumers who use an IPW or an ISPW member are treated fairly when making their Will and when administering an estate.

If you have any concerns about your Will, please email our chairman, Paul Sharpe for advice.

If you would like to make another Will that doesn't tie you to a particular estate administration service, please click here to find an Institute member in your area.

BACKGROUND TO THE INSTITUTE

The Institute of Professional Willwriters was founded in 1991 and the Institute of Scottish Professional Willwriters in 2009 as self-regulatory bodies to safeguard the public from unqualified practitioners and unethical business practices and have become established as the recognised professional bodies regulating and promoting the profession of Willwriting.

Membership is available only to those who pass the IPW entrance examination, or an equivalent run by the Law Society, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, or the Institute of Legal Executives. Members are required to update their knowledge and skills annually through a programme of Continuing Professional Development in order to retain their practising certificate.

All IPW members have Professional Indemnity Insurance cover of a minimum of £2 million, for each Will written and it is mandatory for them to comply with the IPW Code of Practice which is approved by the Office of Fair Trading under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme.

STRUCTURE

The Institute is managed by an elected Council of eight members. The central administration office is at Halesowen in the West Midlands with a branch in Edinburgh.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aims and objectives of the Institute are set out in full in the IPW Constitution but to précis the objectives, they are as follows :-

1. To promote the importance of making a Will to the general public.
2. To promote the Institute and the services of its Members.
3. To ensure that the services provided by its Members are delivered professionally, ethically and competently.
4. To make representation to Government on legislative matters which affect Members of the Institute and their clients.

The Institute also campaigns for it to be compulsory for all Willwriters to be part of a regulatory regime for the protection of the general public and to help give the sector and IPW members wider recognition and credibility.

The website is divided into two sections:

Members of the public

will find useful information about why they should write a Will, matters they should consider when doing so, and other related matters by browsing the public pages.

Professionals

who wish to operate their practices to the highest professional standards can find out what the IPW can do for them.

The contents of these pages are published as an information guide only, and are not a definitive guide to the law. The Institute of Professional Willwriters accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions on this site, or any site to which these pages connect.