NEARLY A QUARTER OF WILLS WRITTEN PROFESSIONALLY INCLUDE A LEGACY

[THE LATEST SURVEY of the will-writing sector carried out by research firm Savanta for Remember A Charity shows that solicitors and professional willwriters are playing an increasingly important role in legacy giving.

Almost three-quarters (73%) always or sometimes raise the option of leaving charitable bequests in wills to their clients. Over a third (36%) say they always raise the option of a charitable legacy with relevant clients, while less than one in 10 (9%) say they never do so. Of those who don’t always raise the issue, more than one quarter (26%) say the most prominent reason is because they do not want to influence their client’s decision.

As a result, now almost a quarter (24%) of wills handled by UK legal advisers include a donation to charity, showing steady growth and long-term change over the past decade – up from 16% in 2014, as the graph shows.

Remember A Charity’s director Lucinda Frostick said: “When it comes to growing legacy giving, engagement and support from across the will-writing community is crucial. This benchmarking study charts a continual rise in the proportion of wills made through solicitors and willwriters that include a charitable gift and that’s so important for charities that rely on legacy income. These donations may not arrive for some years yet, but they will fund vital services and charities’ core costs for generations to follow.”

When asked about the most common barriers to legacy giving for clients, solicitors and will-writers believe the most common reasons are