Latest News

News about the Institute and other issues relating to Willwriting.

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  Are you a Willwriter? More and more Willwriters are joining the IPW 19/04/2010

  As of today, we have recruited 50% more new members so far this month than is our target for the whole of April. Many, if not all, are members of other organisations, but they now wish to align themselves with a professional and progressive organisation - and the ONLY organisation in the legal sector with a Code of Practice which has OFT approval.
  
  To find out more about the benefits of becoming a member of the IPW, please visit the membership section of our website here, or send an email to our membership department here or telephone 08456 442042.
  
  We look forward to hearing from you!!!

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  We have learned today that the IPW Code of Practice has secured Approval from the Office of Fair Trading under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme 01/04/2010

  This has been a two stage process.
  
  In June 2008, the IPW's code completed Stage One - in which the OFT accepts that the content of the Code of Practice meets the OFT criteria. The Code of Practice provides clients of IPW members with assurances that:

  1. Their Willwriter is competent to provide the services that they offer
  2. Their Willwriter has professional indemnity insurance of at least £2million
  3. Their Willwriter has Public Liability Insurance of at least £2million
  4. They will have a cooling off period of at least 7 days
  5. In the event of a failure of a firm, if any money has been paid in advance of work being completed, that money will be refunded or the work completed by another practitione.

  Any complaints against an IPW member will be dealt with through a three stage process

  1. an in-house process run by the IPW member              
  2. a conciliation service provided by the IPW              
  3. an independent arbitration scheme run for the IPW and its members by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

  OFT approval which has been confirmed today follows a period in which:

  1. The IPW has completed compliance visits on its members at a rate of 20% of its membership per year to ensure their compliance with the Code of Practice
  2. The IPW has monitored customer satisfaction through surveys completed by clients of IPW members and returned to the IPW
  3. There has been a consultation with consumer organisations to ensure that the content of the Code of Practice addresses known issues within the sector
  4. The OFT has investigated results from the above. Stage Two approval means that IPW members will be able to display the OFT CCAS logo on their stationery and marketing material.

  
  OFT approval means that IPW members will be able to display the OFT Approved Code logo on their stationery and marketing material.
  
  Needless to say, the IPW will continue the hard work to enforce and monitor compliance with the Code of Practice in order to maintain its OFT approval. The IPW will also continue to review the content of the Code of Practice to ensure that it addresses issues in the sector as they emerge.
  
  The IPW will shortly be consulting with its members and consumer organisations on a Code of Practice, with minor revisions, that will underpin an application by the IPW to the Legal Services Board to become an Approved Regulator of reserved (regulated) probate activities in England and Wales.