CMA Review Focuses on Unregulated Legal Services: Will Writing and Pre-Paid Probate

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a new review into unregulated legal services, with a focus on will writing and pre-paid probate. The review comes amidst concerns that not all providers are complying with consumer protection law.

The CMA highlighted three main areas of concern: will writing, pre-paid probate, and online divorce. Concerns around will writing include misleading advertising, potentially unfair contract terms, and reports of pressure selling and coercion of vulnerable customers.

Regarding pre-paid probate, the regulator raised concerns about pressure selling techniques, lack of transparency about costs, unnecessary plans leading to delays in the probate process, and lack of customer awareness about the protection of their money.

Industry reactions to the review have been positive, with organizations like the Law Society, Irwin Mitchell, and the Institute of Professional Willwriters welcoming the investigation. They emphasized the importance of using regulated legal services, such as solicitors, to ensure consumer protection.

The review has also received support from consumer advocacy groups like Solicitors for the Elderly and professional bodies like the Society of Will Writers and STEP. These organizations have called for higher standards and regulation in the legal services sector to protect consumers from potential risks.

Overall, the CMA’s review aims to ensure that consumers can select the right legal service with confidence, especially for life-changing decisions like will writing and probate. Interested parties can provide feedback on the review by emailing UnregulatedLegalServicesTeam@cma.gov.uk by 4th September 2023.