Simon Hetherington argues the greatest risk from DIY wills is in the profession’s response to them
- Solicitors will not only harm their own interests but also the interests of the consumers if they fail to recognise that the wills and probate game has changed.
Earlier in the summer a piece appeared in this journal about the dangers of DIY wills (see ‘Reasons not to do-it-yourself’, NLJ 28 June 2019, p21). There was not much doubt that the primary target of the piece was wills that are drafted online and downloaded for execution, known as ‘online wills’. However, if solicitors believe that consumers can be deterred from going online to make their will by dire warnings of future problems stored up in a badly drafted or inadequate will, then perhaps they don’t fully appreciate the strength of demand for online or the sophistication of the supply.
In a test campaign by Macmillan Cancer Support, supporters were offered a free online will or a free
