Under our Code of Practice, the Society of Will Writers expects our members to observe the law of the jurisdiction in which the member practices. Within this, we highlight certain statutory obligations to protect consumers – unsurprisingly, this includes the Consumer Rights Act, Consumer Credit Act and Unfair Trading Regulations but perhaps surprisingly it also includes the General Data Protection Regulation. Why do we consider GDPR so important?
Think of your own personal data
The best way to think of GDPR is in terms of how you would like your personal data looked after. None of us want to think about our contact details – or worse still, our credit card details – being left on a train, shared with another business without permission or in the hands of criminals. As will writers, the personal information that we handle for our clients is sensitive and as such the consequences of non-compliance – for those clients and for members’ businesses – are huge.
Non-compliance could put whole industry under scrutiny
The data protection regulator, the ICO, has shown how seriously it takes poor security and loss of personal data – and how hard it is willing to punish those who fail in this area. If the ICO believes will writers are unrepresented on the data protection register, if one of our members has a major data breach or if a complaint is made to the ICO about how a client’s information has been handled – the whole industry could be under scrutiny.
Don’t take the risk
The Society of Will Writers seeks to protect the public and serve the interests of all our members. With personal data so fundamental to will writers’ services, we encourage our members to take up the 10% discount offer we have negotiated with Astrid – ensure that you are fully GDPR compliant, and that your clients’ data and your business are protected. Prices start at just £203 for sole traders and £270 for teams of 2 or more (after discount).
