Do All Solicitors .....

[Barsel]

charge the same amount for writing a standard will, and do any of you know what they charge? Thanks.

[THECORBYLOON]

Folk are under no obligation to include a donation in the will.

https://freewillsmonth.org.uk/?GAds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsLvMsfOt5QIVh7PtCh1YpgTqEAAYAyAAEgI-HfD_BwE

"How does the campaign work?

Members of the public aged 55 and over contact one of the firms of solicitors taking part in a Free Wills Month campaign during the designated month to request an appointment.

The solicitor will help to draw up a Will that accurately reflects the wishes of the individual or couple. Those taking up the offer are under no obligation to leave a gift to one of the Free Wills Month charities, however, we earnestly hope that many will see this as a chance to help their favourite cause.

Appointments are limited and are allocated on a first come first served basis. Once all available appointments are booked the campaign will close, this may be before the end of the campaigning month."

[Neveracrossword]

Barsel, the ads I saw were in Scotland - maybe in the participating solicitors' windows, maybe in ads in the Scottish press.

[Barsel]

hc my friend is a 73yr old pensioner. A small frail women who I feel was taken advantage of. They put her on the spot and she isn't someone who would say No. Age uk put on their website.
//If you do decide to take part in the campaign, there's no obligation to include a gift to Age UK in your will.//
They should have added, but you may be asked to leave a donation of £100. That way it doesn't come as a shock.

[Neveracrossword]

Barsel, I've just checked online. The scheme is called Will Aid - and it says the solicitor will suggest a voluntary donation of £100 for a basic will, £180 for a pair of basic mirror wills.

[THECORBYLOON]

Will Aid takes place each November, it is separate from Free Wills Month this October.

[Barsel]

My friend obviously didn't see that, Neveracrossword.
Ah well, we live and learn.
I t will be intersecting to see it when it's drawn up to see how it differs from my will kit.

[Barsel]

^^^ interesting **

[THECORBYLOON]

BARSEL, it is not the same scheme and there is NO OBLIGATION to make any donation.

[davebro]

I did it this way cos I didn't want to go around friends/relatives getting it witnessed. That is done by staff at the solicitors office.

[Neveracrossword]

Barsel, does your friend live in Scotland? I was explaining things from the Scottish perspective.

[Barsel]

Would my friend be able to cancel the one Age uk are running or would the solicitor charge her for wasting his time? I'll check where Will Aid is running too.

[Neveracrossword]

Barsel, although the Scottish scheme mentions the 'voluntary' donation and your friend wasn't expecting to be asked for anything, maybe some solicitors are just expecting that all clients will contribute?

[Barsel]

Neveracrossword Possibly. Like I said earlier she thought she could just give £20, she didn't know there was a minimum of £100.

[Buenchico]

The only recently-quoted figure I've seen quoted for drafting a will was from a firm of solicitors in Ipswich who were offering the service for a flat fee of £135. As the former MD of a will-writing company myself, that looks like quite good value to me, as I'd have expected to see a figure closer to (or possibly above) £200.

The Age UK website states:
"By being part of this campaign we hope you'll consider supporting Age UK with a gift in your will, although there is no obligation to do so". There's no mention of making a gift at the time of writing the will and no suggested minimum for any gift that might be left in the will. (Another charity, currently advertising on Classic FM, asks people to consider leaving 1% of their estate to that charity).

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/get-involved/donate/leave-legacy/free-wills-month/

[Barmaid]

Getting a Will drafted for £100 is very cheap. The charity will be paying the solicitors to do this. Altho the solicitors will be doing it at a knock down rate. It's all marketing.

If the 100 is included as a legacy she doesn't have to part with the money now and it could be 20 years or more before they get the money.

However if she hasn't parted with the cash she can decline to give anything. She can also delete the legacy from her Will before she executes it.

[Barsel]

Thanks for all your answers.x