Why Prime Wills:
our ethos
and how we work

Where we started

Prime Wills was founded on a straightforward observation: most people who need estate planning are not being well served. Not because qualified professionals are unavailable, but because the experience of getting a Will or a Lasting Power of Attorney prepared is too often impersonal, transactional, and opaque. Clients leave appointments with a document they do not fully understand, in circumstances they cannot quite remember, with no intention of revisiting it for twenty years.

We set out to do it differently. Not by reinventing the law - the rules around Wills, inheritance tax and LPAs are what they are - but by changing the nature of the relationship. Estate planning should feel like a conversation with someone who understands your situation, not a form-filling exercise with someone who does not.

We are based in Walton-on-Thames and work with families across Surrey. We also work remotely with clients across England and Wales - video and telephone consultations allow us to serve people who prefer not to travel, who live further afield, or who simply find it easier to talk from home. The quality of advice does not change based on whether we meet in person or over a screen.

What we believe estate planning should be

Our view is that estate planning is not a one-off transaction. It is an ongoing process. Your circumstances change - you move house, have grandchildren, sell a business, remarry, face a diagnosis, or simply change your mind about what you want. A Will that reflected your wishes perfectly ten years ago may be entirely wrong for your situation today.

This is why every client of Prime Wills receives an annual review as standard - not as an optional extra, not as something to prompt us about, but as a built-in part of what working with us means. Once a year we make contact, check whether anything has changed, and confirm that your documents still say what you intend them to say. If they do not, we discuss what needs updating. If they do, you have the reassurance of knowing that someone has checked.

This is not typical in our sector. Most will writers complete a document and consider their work done. We consider it the beginning of a longer relationship.

How a consultation works

We begin every new client relationship with a thorough consultation - either in person at our Walton-on-Thames office or by video call, whichever you prefer. The conversation typically takes an hour, sometimes a little longer for more complex situations. We do not rush it.

In that first conversation we want to understand your family structure, your assets, your concerns, and - most importantly - what you actually want to achieve. Those things are not always the same as what a client walks in thinking they want. Someone who asks for a simple Will may, once we understand their situation, actually benefit from a Trust within the Will to protect assets for children from a first marriage. Someone who has not considered an LPA may realise, once we explain the implications of lacking one, that it is urgent.

We do not upsell. We explain the options honestly, including the cost and complexity of each, and we let clients decide. Our job is to make sure decisions are informed, not to push people towards a particular product.

Drafting, signing, and storing your documents

Once we understand your wishes, we prepare a draft of your documents and send it to you for review before anything is finalised. We encourage clients to read it carefully and come back with questions - a Will you do not understand is a Will that may not achieve what you intend.

Execution - the formal signing of the Will or LPA - needs to be done correctly. The rules around witnesses and signatures are precise and non-negotiable. We guide every client through the signing process clearly, whether we are present in person or providing written instructions for a remote signing. A Will that is improperly executed is invalid. We take this part of the process seriously.

We also offer secure storage of executed Wills. A Will that cannot be found when needed is almost as problematic as no Will at all. We register every stored Will with Certainty - the National Will Register - so that it can be located by your executors or family even if circumstances mean they do not know where to look.

Our qualifications and regulation

Prime Wills is a member of the Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW), the leading professional body for will writers in England and Wales. IPW membership requires adherence to a strict code of practice, ongoing professional development, and the maintenance of professional indemnity insurance. Clients of IPW members have access to a formal complaints procedure and redress mechanism - safeguards that are not available when documents are prepared by unregulated providers.

Will writing is, perhaps surprisingly, not a regulated activity in the same way that solicitor services are. Anyone can call themselves a will writer without any qualification, training, or insurance. This is a genuine risk for consumers, and it is one reason we believe professional membership and transparency about qualifications matter.

We are also professionally insured. If we make an error - and no professional is infallible - our insurance means our clients are not left without recourse.

The people we work with

Our clients range from young families making their first Wills to retired couples finally getting their LPAs in order, from business owners with complex estate planning needs to individuals navigating difficult family circumstances - blended families, estrangements, dependants with disabilities, and more. There is no typical Prime Wills client. What our clients have in common is that they want their affairs in order and they want to understand what they have signed.

We work at the pace our clients need. Some people arrive with clear wishes and want the process completed quickly and efficiently. Others need more time - to think through family dynamics, to understand the tax implications of different approaches, or simply to feel comfortable. We accommodate both.

If you are unsure whether you need us - or whether your existing documents are still fit for purpose - our free Family Risk Review is a good place to start. It takes about ten minutes and gives you a clear picture of where you stand. No obligation, no sales pressure. Just clarity.