Probate advice to be offered by ICAEW members?

Probate advice could be offered by members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), if proposals to allow them to apply for licenses go ahead.

Currently probate and will-writing are the subject of much debate, as reforms are being ushered in by the Legal Services Commission that will make it easier for non-lawyers and solicitors to work in traditional legal sectors such as estate administration.

Accountancy Age reports yesterday's (October 6th) ICAEW meeting concluded issues that had previously prevented the group from considering probate for members - such as prohibitive costs and red tape - had been removed due to the changes, commonly known as the Tesco Law.

But probate advice may still be better taken from well-established legal services providers, as such enterprises will generally have more experience to offer and can draw upon of wealth of knowledge from qualified solicitors and staff who have been working in probate and will-writing for a number of years.