Membership is available only to those who pass the IPW entrance examination, or an equivalent run by the Law Society, the Institute of Legal Executives or the Chartered Institute of Bankers. Members are required to update their knowledge and skills annually through a programme of Continuing Professional Development in order to retain their practising certificate.

All IPW members have Professional Indemnity Insurance cover to a minimum of �2million, and subscribe to a rigorous Code of Conduct backed up by a disciplinary code.

The Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW) was founded in 1991 as a self-regulatory body to safeguard the public from unqualified practitioners and unethical business practices.

All Will Writers are NOT the same !

Currently the law does not require qualifications and standards, many Will Writers operate without training, qualifications, regulation or insurance. These inadequacies may not be apparent when the Will is written, but become crucial when it comes to be used - by which time it is too late to put things right.

One of the aims of the IPW is to obtain formal regulation of Will writing by legislation for the protection of the general public and to help give the IPW's members wider recognition and credibility generally by way of proactive publicity

It was established with two principal aims:

� To promote the highest possible standards within the Will writing profession;

� To protect the interests of its� members and of the public.

Clients can be assured that, by dealing with an IPW member, they will receive a service that is professional, ethical and competent.