Calls for will writers to be regulated

THE Scottish Government has warned that Scots are at risk of paying excessive charges for wills written up by unregulated practices. It has proposed new rules to protect consumers from non-lawyer will writers and said it would end "an era where consumers have been vulnerable to non-regulated practices which are often unnecessarily expensive".

It said examples of poor practices by unregulated will writers included lack of skill and competence, cold-calling and advice being given on the basis of English law.

Under the proposed regulations, non-lawyers will be able to write wills but will be subject to regulation and, where applicable, sanctions. Solicitors who write wills are regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.

Scots preparing their own wills, including those using so-called DIY packs, and people offering free advice services, will not have to be regulated.