Management Team

"I have been involved in writing Wills since 1990, joined the IPW in 1993, joined its management team in 1997 and was Chairman from 2000 to 2014. I am still involved in my Will writing business, which means that I experience first-hand the day-to-day trials, tribulations and elations of being a Will writer.

 
"What is clear to me as a Will writer is that, for my business to survive and thrive, it needs to set itself apart from all of the other firms offering Wills and all the different methods of making a Will. This is why my IPW membership, along with compliance with a TSI Approved Code of Practice, is an essential part of my business strategy – and why I continue to work to set the highest standards for the Institute and its membership." 

"I started my working life in 1982 in The Lord Chancellor’s Department (now the Ministry of Justice). I worked my way up the management chain and in 1992, I became Manager of the London Probate Office which is where my love of Wills began! In 1997, I discovered the IPW and decided to study for their exams to qualify as a professional Will writer. I was admitted as a member in 1998 and became a Fellow in 2009.
 
"I started my business on a part time basis in 1998. In 2002, I moved out of the Probate Office and became the Training Manager for the Family and Probate Service of England and Wales. During my time in that role, I set up the Probate and Inheritance Tax Helpline and was responsible for training the HMRC staff that would cover the helpline.
 
"In 2005, I obtained a Master’s degree in Strategic Management and then started my qualifications with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). "I became an IPW Trainer in 2004 and have been responsible for identifying, developing and delivering training needs to our members since then. I took up the appointment of Head of Training in late 2016 and have acted as Vice Chair of the IPW since January 2017, having been elected to the Council in 2014.
 
"I am passionate about the Will writing profession. The most important thing for me is to provide my clients and my trainees with the best possible service and it is extremely rewarding to hear them tell me that I have achieved that. I am proud to be a member of the IPW and to have been elected by the membership to represent them on the Council."  

I have over 20 years’ experience win the Estate Planning sector having studied Law at the University of Liverpool and the College of Law before working as a Private Client Solicitor in private practice. I then moved in to a more commercially focused role as Company Solicitor and HOLP for a national Will Writing company and subsidiary of Skipton Building Society, managing a national team of over 200 consultants as well as a large legal team involved with drafting volume wills, trusts and LPAs.   For personal reasons I left that role and established Accord Legal Services 8 years ago and have steadily and organically grown my own business to a national provider with a team of consultants operating across the UK. A keen academic I obtained my STEP qualification as well qualifying in Scottish will writing and will happily serve the Scottish IPW members and be involved in the changing legislative landscape across the border.   I am extremely passionate about the Estate planning sector and was privileged to be selected by the Legal Services Board as one of only a handful of fellow experts in the review of regulation of the will writing  industry. I am a campaigner for regulation and recognition of expert will writers. I am dedicated to changing the statistics of our population that do not have Wills and committed to making Estate Planning a talking point rather than something to avoid.   I am determined to make a difference to the IPW and its members for the positive and am really looking forward to working with my fellow council to achieve some big changes.

I have worked in the Financial Services Industry since September 2000, during that time I have worked in a variety of roles from office administrator, paraplanner, mortgage advisor, and Client Relationship Director.  Estate planning has become a core part of my business as I think with people’s wealth increasing and family dynamics changing it is even more important to make sure that families, wealth and bloodlines are protected.   My time is split spent working with private client work in the South West – and also in London and the Home Counties.   I am blessed to have a beautiful wife and 4 amazing children. All who keep me grounded and help appreciate the simple things in life. When I am not helping clients I like to spend time on the beach, swimming, and reading.  

 

After a successful 15-year senior management career in hospitality, I retrained and started my estate planning business in January 2004. Some twenty years and 3,000 clients later, I now operate out of 2 offices: one in Epping, Essex and, as of 2023, the other in Skipton, North Yorkshire. Shortly after starting my business, I became a member of the IPW. It was the only professional body that was, and still is, fighting for the Willwriting profession to be regulated. It continues to lead the way in training, self-regulation and consumer protection. I was fully aligned with its ethos and the fact that it was not easy to join, actually appealed to me. I wanted to join an organisation that made it hard for me to become a member of, and not one that merely just took my money. I find it incredible that this profession remains totally unregulated currently; the IPW has been at the forefront of the fight to change that since its inception in 1991.
 
Some years ago I was honoured to be invited to become a Fellow of the IPW. This was in recognition of my length of time as a member, my experience, and the fact that I am up to date with my insurance and training, and have had no complaints against me.
For me, the IPW’s Code of Conduct which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute is pivotal in what this organisation stands for. It is unique. No other Willwriting body or organisation has this. I am proud as a member, and as a Council member, to have this valuable and valued recognition that sets my business, and my self-regulatory body, way above the competition. Getting it was incredibly hard in the first place; maintaining it is even harder.  
 
This is actually now my second stint on the Council. Having done just over 4 years some years before, I was chuffed to be asked to rejoin, to help shape the direction and strategy of the organisation that I have supported and been a member of virtually from the outset of my business. These are indeed challenging and interesting times as we continue to fight for full regulation