Everything you need to know about Will Writing software
What is Will writing Software?
Will writing software is a program that helps automate the building of legal documents. It uses branded templates, mandatory fields, set wording and automated functions to make the document drafting process easier and quicker.
How does Will writing software help organisations?
Will writing software has built-in risk mitigation features. They work in conjunction with you to build more accurate documents much faster than by hand. Programs typically help to drive efficiencies into estate planning departments in a multitude of areas, such as precedent management, peer review processes, commentary and cover letters, re-keying data, training, and the drafting itself.
How long does Will Writing Software take to implement?
This depends on the size of your team; larger teams sometimes require more support as there’s more people to train. Generally, it takes 1-2 weeks to become proficient in the software. Your users may be a little slower to draft to begin with but once they get to know the system, the wording, and a slightly different process they’ll be drafting up to 10 times faster than before. New user training is available for all your users, and you get a dedicated Customer Success Manager that will walk you through a tried and tested onboarding process.
What support is available?
You will have a dedicated Customer Success Manager and access to a support team who are available via online chat, telephone, or email. There are also over 50+ pre-recorded how-to-videos, monthly new user training sessions and monthly case study sessions that are available to everyone, free of charge.
How is Will writing software monitored for best practice and changes in the law?
Arken.legal’s software is monitored and changes are advised by internal solicitors and a Legal Advisory Board. They provide feedback on functionality, changes in the law, precedent wording and more.
Does Will writing software help with risk mitigation?
Yes. Will writing software often has built in controls, additional features (such as mental capacity assessments) and automations that support drafters in creating more accurate and robust documents the first time around. Helping to protect the drafter and organisation.
It also helps to keep data (and documents) secure, whilst also supporting business continuity as users can draft from home if required.
The use of precedent banks, that are monitored by internal Solicitors and a Legal Advisory Board, help organisations stay abreast of changes in the law. The consistent wording used, in precedents, commentary and cover sheets, also help to streamline and enhance the peer review process.
Is it suitable for organisations with lots of offices?
Yes. In fact, it’s advantageous for organisations with multiple offices as it helps drive consistency across different locations. That’s consistency in wording, branding and processes.
What’s the cost benefit of Will writing software?
Let’s get down to the math. Let’s say you draft 20 Wills per month, a subscription to Arken.legal’s Will writing software for this volume of documents would cost you roughly £135 per month.
Let’s say that on average 60% of the Wills you draft are simple and it takes you 30 minutes to draft a simple Will. 40% of the Wills you draft are more complex, and they take you 40 minutes to draft.
Let’s also say that, on average, you pay your drafters £35,000 per year.
From our calculations, you could save up to 10 hours per month and £220 on resource spend.
So, with Will writing software, on this plan, you would be £85 per month better off, and your team would have 10 hours a month to focus on growing the business or writing more Wills within the same time allotted.
How many more Wills could you produce in 10 hours?
Try out the ROI calculator below to see what you could achieve.
How many Wills do you draft per month?
What percentage of Wills are simple wills?
Using your current drafting methods:
-
Time per simple will
minis30 minplus -
Time per complex will
minis40 minplus
What is the annual salary per drafter?
51hrs
Time saved per month
£1101
£ saved per month
£13211
£ saved per year
How many other organisations are using Will Writing software?
Over 6,000 people use Arken.legal’s Will writing software. It has been used to help produced over 7million Wills to date.
It’s mainly used by Solicitors and Will Writers, but is also utilised by Accountants, Financial Advisors and Professional Service firms.
To review some of the companies using Arken.legal’s Will writing software, visit our case studies and testimonials page.
Trust drafting software, is that available too?
Yes. Within Arken.legal’s core Will drafting solution, users can draft Testamentary Trusts easily and more efficiently. Arken.legal also has another product called Arken Lifetime, which empowers users to draft Inter Vivos (Lifetime Trusts).
How rigid are the templates or clauses?
They’re flexible. You can change the wording of the clauses to suit your needs. The Will templates can be branded to suit your organisations style, but the layout of the content in the Will and other documents tend to stay the same.
What exactly can I draft in Will Writing software, is it just Wills?
You can draft the Will, Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs), Severance of Joint Tenancy (SJTs), Expression of Wishes (EWs), Expresses of Wishes to Guardians (EWGs), Advanced Decisions (ADs) and General Powers of Attorney (GPAs). You can also draft Testamentary Trusts.
Arken.legal has another product that supports users in drafting Inter Vivos Trusts. It’s called Arken Lifetime and you can draft the following:
- Life interest in property Trust
- IPDI (immediate post death interest) Trust
- Discretionary Trust
- Vulnerable person’s Trust
- Nil rate band discretionary Trust
- Flexible life interest Trust
- Age contingent Trust
- Bereaved minors Trust
- 18-25 Trust
- Charitable Trust
- Right of occupation Trust
- Pilot Trust
- Bare Trust
- Declaration of Trust
- Vulnerable Persons Trust
- Lifetime Trust
- Life Insurance Policy Trust
What documents are included in a Will pack?
There are several documents included in a Will pack, all of which count in the same document charge as per the pricing structure. The documents included are:
- The Will
- The Coversheet
- The Commentary
- Signing instructions
- An assets & liabilities report
- The Will questionnaire
- An overview of the client interview
- The client profile
How much does it cost?
Arken.legal uses a subscription-based model and prices start from £36+VAT per month. More information about our pricing can be found on this page here. But do reach out to us for a conversation.