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Will reforms recommended.


The Legal ombudsman has called on the government to reform the regulations on Wills to stop people from being ripped off.

Millions of Wills are written or amended each year and it is estimated that almost 200,000 wills are produced by those exempt from any complaints organisation, the legal Ombudsman has urged the government to extend their jurisdiction to encompass those presently not regulated.

The consensus is that there is defiantly room for improvement, it should be a rite for all those making a Will that their affairs and wishes are handled and complied with in the way intended.

But there seems to be a disagreement with the way the improvements are put in place, with the Legal Services Board not convinced that the best way forward is to increase the remit of the regulatory organisation, and it intends to explore other options first, which would include better guidance and use of existing consumer protection Laws.

The Ombudsman helped with more than one thousand complains relating to Will and probate issues last year, so you can see how important it is to ensure that all consumers have protection, including protection when using an organisation that is not policed by an ombudsman, the most common complains are regarding fees, compliance with instructions and delays.

As the problem exists we feel it is the duty of the Legal Services Board to provide a solution, one would be for non regulated bodies to opt in to the ombudsman scheme, which has been suggested, this however does not solve the problem for those still outside the scheme and without regulation, we would like to see membership mandatory or improved clarity on the recourse available for clients via consumer regulations.

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