CASE STUDIES

We spoke to several practices who use Express Wills to find out what they thought of the product. We asked them to explain how their process of will drafting has changed since introducing Express Wills, and how their colleagues and clients have benefited.

 

 

BARRY EDGE • SOLICITOR • ATTEYS SOLICITORS, DONCASTER

 

Will drafting before we found Express Wills

“Before Express Wills we used to use precedent books. After the customer interview we had to build the draft will up from scratch. Often this was done by a clerk, which then had to be checked and corrected by the solicitor.

It was all very time consuming and we could never do as many wills then as we do now. We also had no dedicated will practitioners, which meant will writing was not an efficient part of the business and was an area that we were unable to capitalise on without radically changing the way we worked.

Problems also arose when old wills were taken out for review. With solicitors all using their own preferred clauses and styles, interpreting them meant processing wills took much longer and introduced an element of potential error.

We get as many people amending wills as making new ones and having a standardised format makes amending wills much easier as there are now no issues about interpretation or style.“

 

After we started using Express Wills

“Our Head of Department then spotted an advert for Express Wills and identified a window of opportunity to grow the will writing part of the firm. After trialling the software it was decided to make it the standard drafting tool across the firm. Because of this we are able to do many more wills and it has tremendously improved this part of the business. We now have 12 will drafters spread across several offices.”

 

How Express Wills helps with our drafting process

“Because Express Wills is networked it means that everyone uses the same central bank of units, which I periodically order through the helpdesk. It only takes a few minutes to order them. It couldn't be easier.

It's easy to keep track of the costs and we can charge the unit costs back to the customer. We guarantee a 7 day turnaround which reduces any potential claim for negligence covered by delay.

The questionnaire is easy to fill in, everything is in the right order and the system is very easy to use. It takes very little time to train new people on how to use Express Wills.“

 

What our clients think

“And the clients really like the wills we produce. They are very user-friendly and easy to read and to understand. In a couple if instances we have our own standard clauses that we use.

It only takes a couple of minutes to edit a drafted document to include the firm's preferred wording. Clients appreciate the 7 day turnaround“

 

 

ANDREW WILLS • PARTNER AW LAW, ESHER

 

How Express Wills helps us

“Today the requirement to produce quick, economical wills is important as although it is a prominent area of work for the firm it does not represent a large part of the fees.

If you can produce a good, reliable will in 20 minutes, that's great. We also save time by automatically producing letters from the system and billing documents. We can create our own standard paragraphs in the system and incorporate them into the letter to send to the client. We also use the Client Questionnaire, which prints off easily, to send to the client for filling in prior to a meeting, which speeds up the whole process.

Other time saving functions include the Powers of Attorney form and Advance Directive. If a client changes their mind or wants to review their will it is very easy to go back and alter it as there is no redrafting to do as all the questions have been answered already. The editing of the individual paragraphs works well, too.“

 

Express Wills is easy to use

“It takes very little time to train someone up to use the Express Wills software. I usually spend an hour with someone who hasn't used the system before and they are more than capable of producing a draft will after that.“

 

 

MICHAEL CASSON • SENIOR CONSULTANT • LD LAW LTD, HARLOW

 

How Express Wills has changed my drafting

“I've been using Express Wills for about 3 years now. Before, I used to use standard paragraphs on a word processor which was fine until something a bit different turned up then I had to go and look for the solution elsewhere, which took too much time. When a colleague asked me to try out the system I discovered that it was exactly what I had been looking for. Now, I use Express Wills all the time, and I wouldn't want to draft a will without it.”

 

Express Wills helps me draft wills quickly

"One of the most important benefits it has for me is that because it is on my laptop I can take it anywhere to draft wills.

As well as being able to take the system to client's homes, I can fill out the questionnaire as we hold the interview and I can show the client the final will there and then. It takes only a second to then print it off for the client to sign.

As a lot of clients often want wills in a hurry, because they are about to go travelling or something else has happened in their life which has brought them to the office, it is a major benefit for both parties to be able to produce a will for them to sign immediately."

 

 

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