Will-writing courses
Study to be a will writer
Our will-writing courses will give you the training you need to learn to write wills competently.
Unlike many legal activities, will-writing can be carried out by anyone who wishes to set up a will-writing business. However we would recommend that all will writers are trained to a high level of competence, and our distance learning courses will equip you to give a better level of service to your clients. You should be aware that, unlike will-writing, the winding up of an estate after death is a reserved activity which can only be conducted by legal professionals working within organisations regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or other regulatory body.
What do I need to study if I want to learn to write wills competently?
We recommend that you start with the ILEX Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice (Elderly Client Practice). This is a five-unit qualification set at approximately ‘A’ Level in standard and a pass in any of the units leads to Affiliate Membership of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).
The units that you will study are:
• ILEX Level 3 Unit 1 Introduction to Law and Practice £195
• ILEX Level 3 Unit 8 Law of Wills and Succession £295
• ILEX Level 3 Unit 15 The Practice of Law for the Elderly Client £325
• ILEX Level 3 Unit 16 Client Care Skills £275
• ILEX Level 3 Unit 17 Legal Research Skills £275.
You can buy all these courses together as a bundled package for £1100 or you can start with the first three for £730 and then enrol on the skills courses at a later date. Atlernatively each of the courses can be purchased individually at the fee shown above. A pass in ILEX Level 3 Unit 8 will exempt you from the membership exams of the Institute of Professional Willwriters, subject to payment of a membership fee.
We also offer ILEX Level 3 Unit 14 Probate Practice for £325 , which would be relevant if you are working in a firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and wish to carry out administration of estates. This could be studied as an alternative to The Practice of Law for the Elderly Client with the other units listed above, and these five courses studied together would lead to the award of an ILEX Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice (Probate Practice).
What will I learn?
The content of these courses can be found by following the links in the above list.
How are the courses delivered?
The courses are delivered by supported distance learning. Find out what this means by looking at the pages on our ILEX Level 3 law and practice courses and our ILEX Level 3 professional skills courses.
How are the courses assessed?
Our courses will prepare you for the exams set by CILEx. It is not strictly necessary for you to sit the exams in order to practise as a will writer. However, exam success will prove that you have learnt to apply the knowledge correctly, and the achievement of qualifications will also inspire client confidence. It is necessary to become a Student Member of CILEx to be eligible to sit any ILEX exam and membership and exam fees are payable.
The ILEX Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice also contributes to the first stage of legal executive training, so it is an ideal starting point if you think that you might want to build on it in the future to become a fully-qualified lawyer. It is also a nationally-recognised qualification in its own right, and is listed on the Government’s National Qualifications Framework.
Gain higher-level knowledge
Although the Level 3 courses will equip you to deal with standard low-value estates, we recommend that you should also study at Level 6 if you wish to offer proper advice to higher-value clients. The course we offer is:
• ILEX Level 6 Unit 14 Law of Wills and Succession
We also recommend that will writers should have a good knowledge of the Law of Trusts. Trusts are an important legal construction which should be considered in the drafting of wills for high-value estates. So if you wish to offer a service to this market you should also study ILEX Level 6 Unit 5 Equity and Trusts. We also offer a higher-level course in probate practice - ILEX Level 6 Unit 21 Probate Practice.
CILEx will award a Single Subject Certificate for each Level 6 subject achieved. Again. these are nationally-recognised qualifications on the Government’s National Qualifications Framework.
Find out more about our courses for ILEX Level 6 law and practice units.
Enrol now
Apply online for courses for:
ILEX Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice (Elderly Client Practice) at £1100
ILEX Level 3 Unit 1 Introduction to Law and Practice, Unit 8 Law of Wills and Succession and Unit 15 Elderly Client Practice at £730
ILEX Level 3 Unit 8 Law of Wills and Succession £295
ILEX Level 3 Unit 15 The Practice of Law for the Elderly Client £325
ILEX Level 6 Unit 14 Wills and Succession at £540
ILEX Level 6 Unit 21 Probate Practice at £570
ILEX Level 5 Unit 5 Equity and Trusts at £540
Or download and submit the application form below.
Download application form: Enrolment application form for ILEX courses 2011-12
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