FOUNDER OF ONLINE WILL-WRITING BUSINESS DISCUSSES THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY ​

A UK will-writing business is leading the way for bringing the industry into the 21st century, attracting more and more people to write their wills online – without the help of a solicitor.

Free Wills, who offer the service at no charge to the customer, is leaving behind the tired, traditional process of will writing that can prove costly for those who use a solicitor’s services.

Historically, solicitors were met at their convenience with questions posed to their client and the will written up in response to what they want. After the client dies, their heirs would go back to the solicitor’s office where they would generally be persuaded to use them to handle probate and other matters at a non-competitive rate.

Carl Christensen, founder of the Free Wills, believes this is becoming a costly process many are rejecting as they discover online will-writing. He said: “It’s becoming straightforward with the use of digital technology because it’s highlighting just how simple will-writing is.

“The shift to digital, which has affected many different industries, has taken the will-writing sector by storm – resulting in around one in six adults now ensuring their legacy through online means.”

“In the last two years we’ve seen a huge increase in will writing online,” said Carl.

“We’re seeing the business slowly slip away from solicitors as all of their options are at their fingertips with their convenience in mind.

“Online will writing is in your best interest as you can control what’s in it. It allows clients to choose who they would like to be the executors of their will – whether that be friends, family or a professional firm.”

In Free Wills’ lifetime, more than £40 million has been left using their services with over 21% of their wills written on their website via mobile. The business offers a free excluding service from their wills – meaning no claims can be made by family if they think they’ve been left out mistakenly.

“We encourage people to leave money to charity,” added Carl. “This is massively important for us as we understand so many charities benefit from the funds left by legacies, for example – 25% of The British Heart Foundation’s income is from the public’s wills.”

Carl knows that all of this time spent at home due to COVID-19 has led to more people considering their home life and their wills.

Combined with the ever-improving guidance for online wills, along with the move away from old English legal jargon that can leave many scratching their heads, it’s expected that online will writing will continue to grow in popularity.