IPW Collaboration With CTSI

IPW Collaboration With CTSI

The Institute of Professional Willwriters is delighted to announce that we will be working indefinitely in close collaboration with Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). This relationship hopes to drive greater public awareness of the advisability of utilising the services of an IPW Member when approaching the delicate topic of estate planning. This relationship is not new by any means, so let’s have a look back at how the IPW and CTSI have worked to enforce consumer protection and safeguard the public so far…  

The IPW

The Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW) has been in existence since 1991. The Institute is a self-regulatory organisation and its aims are:

• To promote the importance of making a Will to the general public
• To ensure that the services provided by its Members are delivered professionally, ethically and competently
• To make representations to government on legislative matters which affect Members of the Institute and their clients.  

Code of Practice

The IPW Code of Practice was established in 2008 as the first (and still, the only) Code of Practice in the Legal Services Sector to be independently endorsed and monitored by a Consumer organisation.

The Code covers the provision of advice and/or documents drafted relating to:

• Wills
• Powers of Attorney
• Advance Decisions ·
• Trusts
• Storage of documents
• The administration of the estate of someone who has died.

The IPW and its Members understand that the legal services that IPW Members provide are sometimes sought by customers at a stressful time in their lives. Furthermore, the services are not ‘everyday purchases’ and can be complex. The Code of Practice therefore ensures that its members meet the highest standards in every        interaction and transaction with customers.  

Approved Code

This is to certify that the published Consumer Code of Practice of the Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW) was officially granted Approved Code status in 2014. Since then, the relevant provisions, processes and procedures have been continuously monitored and regularly audited by the CTSI - the representative body of the UK Trading Standards profession, since 1881, and one of the primary Government-endorsed consumer protection bodies in the United Kingdom - operating on behalf of the Approved Code Scheme.    

So Why Is This Important?

Not everyone who provides legal services has been trained in law or relevant legal matters. Often things that have gone wrong with the type of transactions that IPW members provide are not found out until many years after a legal service has been  provided. By then it’s difficult or impossible to put this right. It’s therefore essential to take every step to ensure things don’t go wrong, but if they do, that there is redress for those affected.