Politicians, bankers and journalists……
Story by
July 6, 2012
David Sinclair (right)
Politicians, bankers and journalists have all taken a knock in recent times.Public perception of them has taken a dive after scandals one after the other.
We only have to look at Bob Diamond and the current problems at Barclays and in the banking sector.It’s little wonder that trust in these professions has gone down so much.
A survey a while ago commissioned by the Bar Standards Board showed solicitors to be the most trusted professionals.
These legal experts came top of the poll with 17 per cent saying they trusted them, compared to 14 per cent who trusted accountants and 13 per cent barristers. “Lawyers” did less well, with only 11 per cent.
As you’d expect, politicians and estate agents were the least trusted, with bankers scoring only slightly higher.
I’ve been a Solicitor now in Somerset for a decade, and my mother for nearly three decades.One area we consistently find problems that affect local residents is with Will writing.
Solicitors, like myself are highly trained, insured and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.But Will writers are untrained, non-insured and totally unregulated.
At present anyone can set up a Will-writing firm without skills or training.While you can claim compensation if a regulated Solicitor gets something wrong, with an unregulated will-writer there is no safety net.
Unscrupulous firms of Will writers can often take advantage of the vulnerable or elderly – making mistakes that prove extremely costly.
The general public don’t realise that most Will writers have no formal legal qualifications and can often fall prey to high pressure selling tactics that Will writers can sometimes use to get sales.
Solicitors have to follow very strict advertising rules and are forbidden to cold call the general public.Making a Will is one of the most important documents you will ever have to sign. It is vital that you get it right. For peace of mind, see a Solicitor.
David Sinclair runs Acorn Solicitors in Taunton with his mother Jill and lives in Burnham. David was on a shortlist of five solicitors for the UK Young Lawyer of the Year in 2009.
He is a national Director for Solicitors for the Elderly which has nearly 1300 members nationally and which exists to help ensure that elderly people have access to specialist legal advice.
To find out more about Acorn please visit: http://www.acornsolicitors.com/
