Become A Member of the IPW

As well as being as part of a nationally recognised organisation, IPW membership provides you with a strong professional network and full support of your business.

You can discover all the benefits of becoming an IPW member by clicking here.

However, in order to take full advantage of these benefits, there are a few preparatory steps that applicants need to complete.

These are as follows:

Firstly, complete a membership application form. You can join on-line here.

Secondly, you'll need to make an annual membership payment. This can easily be completed online by debit or credit card.

After that, it's important that you submit a Disclosure & Barring Service disclosure (or Disclosure Scotland). For this, you'll need to provide a check completed within the last year or by completing an application form and sending it to us. You can request this form by contacting our Membership Manager.

If you're taking advantage of Full Membership, you'll also need to submit company documentation. This is to confirm make sure that it complies with the Institute's Code of Practice.

Before you can become a fully fledged member, you'll need to successfully complete our entrance examination or an alternative as described below.

Entry examinations

These are important not only because you can talk to clients about how you have successfully passed the IPW exams, but also how you've carried out training to demonstrate your commitment to providing the right advice.

IPW examinations are held each quarter. It consists of a 1½ hour written paper, as well as a role play where you'll receive Will instructions and a Will drafting exercise.

If you'd like to know more about our next IPW and ISPW examinations, please click here.

Experienced Practitioners

If you have at least 5 years of experience within the Willwriting sector, you can elect to submit 4 completed cases.

You'll need to select 4 of your recent clients, where the advice you provided demonstrates your competence. We suggest that these case studies include a range of different people, e.g. a single person, a young couple with young children and an elderly couple wanting to protect their estate.

In order for us to assess the case, alongside each one you'll need to include:

• A copy of the client instruction sheet
• A copy of the Will(s) and any other documents prepared for the client(s)
• A written commentary of the issues surrounding the client, as well as any advice given and the reasons for the rejection of advice if appropriate.

• has a current practising certificate from the Law Society (or the Law Society in Scotland) or a certificate which has lapsed within the last 6 months and can demonstrate that they have experience in Willwriting in the last 3 years or in the period since they obtained their practicing certificate if this is less
• has achieved at least a Diploma in Trusts and Estates or the Advanced Certificate in Will Preparation with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and can demonstrate that they have experience in Willwriting in the last 3 years or in the period since they achieved their qualification if this is less
• has achieved at least CILEx Level 3 in either Law of Wills & Succession or Probate Practice and can demonstrate that they have experience in Willwriting in the last 3 years or in the period since they achieved their qualification if this is less
• has achieved a qualification of at least equivalent level to the above as approved by the Institute and can demonstrate that they have experience in Willwriting in the last 3 years or in the period since they achieved their qualification if this is less

If you have any questions about becoming an IPW member, contact our team by clicking here.

We're here to help you.