You might have watched the BBC Panorama programme this week regarding unscrupulous Will writing businesses in England and Wales. Andy Osmond was invited by BBC Radio Gloucestershire to comment on the issues raised by the programme.

The programme highlighted the problems of Will writers who:

• Are not legally qualified.
• Are incompetent or fraudulent.
• Have no Indemnity Insurance, making it extremely difficult for clients who receive a negligent service to recover compensation.
• Charge excessive fees.
• Sell cheap Wills (as a ‘loss leader’), in return for appointing themselves as executors to deal with your probate after death and charging exorbitant fees.

In light of this, we are delighted to tell you that you have come to the right Will writer because:

• Andy Osmond qualified as a solicitor in 1989 and worked in a large provincial solicitors’ firm for many years before starting his own Will writing business. Your meeting will be with him and he will draw up your legal documents.
• Andy is competent – he has written hundreds of Wills and has never received a complaint about the standard of his work or the service Osmonds provide.
• Andy has indemnity insurance in place so that, should he make a mistake, there is a route for the client to recover compensation.
• Osmonds’ fees are fair and reasonable for the service provided.
• We encourage our clients to appoint family members to act as their executors. This keeps costs down and gives control of probate to the surviving family members.
• We encourage any executors who approach us for advice about enlisting help from professionals only to use professionals to the extent necessary, only to appoint those who are legally qualified and who charge according to the work they actually carry out, not according to the value of the estate being administered.

If you have any concerns arising from the Panorama programme, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss further.