Leading body invites and attracts serious professionals

The Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners, often referred to as the SWW is a not for profit organisation who regulates its members.

Whilst the SWW isn’t entirely made up of Will Writers, it does consist of financial services professionals, accountants, probate practitioners, solicitors, mortgage brokers as well as Will Writers who all see benefit of trading under the banner of the largest organisation of its type.

The SWW is continuing to lead the way when it comes to self-regulation and its numbers have grown consistently over the last year and considerably since the organisation started back in 1994. The team at Chancery House put this down to a few key elements:

• The range of benefits is always expanding. By far the biggest benefit of membership is the access to technical advice meaning that (full) members can approach our team with all manner of technical enquiries and will get a written response within 48 hours, often quicker. This provides them with peace of mind that the advice they are giving is correct or that the documents they are producing will have the desired effects for their clients.
• Access to leading products and services was one of the key reasons cited by members for joining the SWW. Having access to a tailored insurance package as well as being able to use SWW endorsed and supported drafting software was also a draw.
• Cost was the final thing mentioned by the SWW. Full membership costs less than that of a cup of coffee per day working out at only £0.82p with flexible payment options. Sam Smith, a membership administrator for the SWW who supports members when they submit applications said “When a member comes on board with us we want them to know that we’re here to support them. Yes, we expect them to adhere to our Code of Practice and treat clients fairly but they should be doing that anyway. In return for adherence we provide them with unlimited support and advice. It’s what we’ve always done.”

Tom Stansfield, Marketing Director for the SWW is keen to impress on professionals the need to be taken seriously in the current climate, and he stated “Will Writers have the ability to do considerable damage to the reputation of the profession and clients are becoming savvy to the idea of a ‘trusted trader’. Those professionals who aren’t yet affiliated or aligned with a body that sets industry standards are encouraged to contact us. If they meet the required standards we’re happy to support them. For those that don’t meet our exacting standards we can work with them to bring them up to become compliant.”

He closed by adding “It is only through working together can we have a positive impact on the profession.”

For more information on the SWW’s regulatory or representative functions please contact us 01522 68 78 88 or email us at [email protected]