Thursday September 02 2010

Levels of Membership

The levels of Membership of the Institute are Full Member, Fellow Member, Affiliate Member, Sponsored Member, Associate Member, Student Member and Retired Member.

Full Member (MIPW) (MISPW)

Full membership is achieved by meeting the Institute's criteria as follows :-

1. completing an application form
2. supplying two satisfactory references;
3. supplying a satisfactory criminal records check
4. passing the Institute's entrance examination or qualifying for exemption^*
5. Subscribing to the Institute's own, or another approved, scheme of Professional Indemnity Insurance

* For details of exemptions, see our booklet on Training and Education here.

Fellow Member (FIPW) (FISPW)

Fellow Membership is to be available by invitation only to Full Members who:

• have been Full Members for at least two years and
• have been trading in offering Willwriting and/or related services for at least 5 years and
• have a satisfactory claims record and
• have not had any complaints upheld under the Code of Practice and
• have a satisfactory payments record with the IPW and its associated businesses and
• have a satisfactory CPD record

Affiliate Member (AffIPW) (AffISPW)

Affiliate Membership is available to individuals who meet the criteria for Full Membership but are members of another regulatory organisation (such as the SRA, Scottish Law Society, STEP, ICAEW, CLC) who provide a complaints procedure equivalent to that provided by the Institute's Code of Practice and as such are not required to comply with the Institute's Code of Practice.

Student Member

Student Membership is available to individuals who have not yet met the criteria for Full Membership but who are studying for the IPW examination.  Student members are not required to arrange Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Sponsored Member (SIPW) (SISPW)

Sponsored membership is available to "instruction takers" who are taking Will instructions on their own behalf. Wills for Sponsored Members must be drafted by a Full Member (or an Affiliate Member) of the Institute.

Associate Member (AIPW) (AISPW)

Associate membership is available to "instruction takers" who are taking Will instructions on behalf of a Full Member of the Institute. This level of membership is only available to those in qualifying employment, i.e. if he/she ceases to work for or be contracted to a Corporate Member of the Institute their Associate membership lapses.

Professional Indemnity Insurance cover is through the employer's membership. After completing the Associateship Course and working in the profession, Associate Members may decide to proceed to become Full Members by taking the Full Membership examination.

Retired Member

A further level of membership is available to Full, Affiliate and Sponsored Members who no longer practice as Willwriters, but wish to continue Professional Indemnity Insurance cover for the Wills that they have already written.