Will Writers

Fern Wills & LPAs works well with other will writers, estate planners and private-client professionals.

Good will writers are not a threat to each other. Poor quality documents, flawed DIY Wills, clients doing nothing, and unclear advice are the real risks to the public and to the profession.

This page is for will writers and estate planners who may need practical support with overflow work, home visits, holiday or illness cover, client referrals, storage issues, retirement planning, relocation, or a staged continuity arrangement.

We are based on the Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire border. We can meet suitable clients face to face across those counties and work by phone or video across England and Wales where appropriate.

Professional support without pressure

The right arrangement depends on the situation.

You may simply want somewhere reliable to send an enquiry you cannot help with. You may need short-term support while you are away, unwell or overloaded. You may have clients who need home visits outside your normal area. You may be thinking about retirement, relocation, sale, run-off insurance, storage records, or a gradual handover.

There is no single model. We can discuss what is practical, fair and safe for everyone involved.

When we may be able to help

Fern Wills & LPAs may be able to help where:

you receive a new enquiry that you do not want to take on yourself;

you need temporary overflow or locum-style support;

a client needs a home visit outside your usual service area;

a client would benefit from Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, trusts, storage or wider estate-planning guidance;

you are retiring, relocating or reducing your caseload;

you have a client bank or storage arrangement that needs a safe future route;

you want a staged continuity arrangement rather than an immediate sale or full handover.

We are full members of the Society of Will Writers (SWW) and qualified with the Institute of Professional Will Writers (IPW) and are used to working with clients who need practical guidance, clear fixed fees and careful signposting where specialist tax, financial, litigation or probate advice may be needed.

Home visits and out-of-area clients

Some will writers, estate planners, private-client consultants and solicitors do not offer home visits. Others can only visit within a limited radius.

That can create problems where a client prefers to meet at home, has mobility issues, or lives away from the professional who introduced them.

Fern Wills & LPAs can often provide a practical Midlands-based route for suitable clients. An introduction fee or other agreed commercial arrangement can be discussed where appropriate.

Overflow, holiday and illness cover

A few delayed cases, a period of illness, family pressure, holiday absence or a run of more complex instructions can quickly affect timescales.

If you need temporary support, we can discuss whether Fern can help with new enquiries or clearly scoped work. We will not automatically take responsibility for previous advice or historic work. Any arrangement needs to be clear about scope, client consent, records, pricing and responsibility.

Split commission and finder’s fees

The arrangement should be simple and transparent. The client should know who they are dealing with, what service they are receiving, and what they are paying for.

Where a referred client uses Fern, they will normally go through Fern’s own process, pricing and client-care arrangements unless something different has been agreed in advance.

Retirement, relocation and staged continuity

Retiring, relocating or reducing a will-writing business is not always straight forward.

Client records, stored documents, standing orders, free rewrite promises, run-off insurance, professional indemnity cover and returning client enquiries can all create practical and professional issues.

Some will writers want a clean sale. Others prefer a lighter arrangement where new or returning clients are referred on a case-by-case basis. Some may want a staged continuity arrangement, where the relationship develops gradually and the clients retain choice.

Fern Wills & LPAs is open to sensible conversations about these options.

Client databases and storage arrangements

A client database may have value, but only if the records are usable, the client position is clear, data protection is handled properly, and the work can be taken on safely.

Stored original documents need particular care. Clients and families may need a clear route for retrieval, update, review or transfer. A poorly managed storage problem can leave the will writer, the family and the clients in a difficult position.

Where appropriate, Fern can discuss whether a database, storage arrangement or returning-client route can be handled safely and commercially.

Why planning ahead helps

Problems often become harder when no continuity plan exists.

For example, a will writer with a large number of stored original documents may become too unwell to manage the records properly. If addresses are out of date, documents are returned, or standing orders continue without a clear service route, the family may inherit a practical and professional problem.

Another common issue is a client bank built around free rewrites or low annual payments. That may have worked while the original will writer was active, but it can make a later transfer difficult because the ongoing responsibility may be greater than the commercial value.

These examples are not about blame. They are about planning early enough to protect clients, families and professional reputation.

A practical first conversation

If you are a will writer, estate planner, solicitor, private-client consultant or professional adviser and this page sounds relevant, the first step is simply a confidential conversation.

You do not need to know exactly what arrangement you want before getting in touch.

We can discuss:

whether this is about new enquiries, overflow, home visits or referrals;

whether there are existing clients, stored documents or returning enquiries;

whether any responsibility for historic work is being suggested;

how client consent and data protection would be handled;

whether a referral fee, commission, staged continuity arrangement or buy-in discussion makes sense.

The aim is simple: to find a fair and practical route that protects clients, respects the original professional relationship, and avoids unnecessary pressure.

Please contact Fern Wills & LPAs if you would like to discuss professional support, client referrals or continuity planning.