Of your own free will?

The veterinary charity PDSA has begun a scheme in partnership with solicitors nationwide, in which they will pay a fee to the solicitor in order to provide a will for a supporter of the charity.

They do this in the hope that the supporter will leave a gift to PDSA as part of their will, although this is in no way compulsory.

According to PDSA reports, more than two thirds of the 2 million treatments it provides every year are funded through gifts left in the wills of supporters of the charity, meaning that it is one of the largest UK beneficiaries of legacy payments.

Ruth Lister, PDSA’s legacy development manager, told the Law Gazette that: “Legacies make up a vital part of PDSA’s funding. When we piloted our free wills offer we had a fantastic response from animal lovers who choose to leave a gift to us. This lasting legacy shows their love for pets by helping us provide our life-saving veterinary services across the UK.”

The charity is paying for solicitors to create simple wills for individuals or couples who are over the age of 50. After 18 months of testing across a handful of cities, the charity is now rolling the scheme out nationwide.

And so far, the response has been exceptional, with over 350 solicitors or firms having signed up to participate already.

SRA regulation states that whilst this kind of agreement is fully acceptable, the solicitor writing the will must make clear to the recipient that they are being given a cash fee by the organization, or if they are benefitting in kind in any other way. 

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