The Company Undertakes to:
Provide free legal work up to a maximum value of £1,700 (based on Equity legal standard fees) for a single person or couple consisting of:
- Family Protection Will Trust for single or married persons.
- Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorneys for a single person or couple.
- Property & Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorneys for a single person or couple.
The work includes dealing remotely by phone, Skype, email and post to glean all necessary information together with client instructions and to assist with the signing process.
Will Trusts
Client Will Trust documents are drafted to the highest quality with interactive software used by leading UK Institutions and high profile National law firms. Draft Wills are emailed for checking before client approved documents are posted for signing. A copy Will is also included for safe keeping together with a full explanation of the client’s Will in ‘Plain English’.
Lasting Power of Attorneys (LPAs)
Client LPAs are also prepared using the same highly sophisticated systems employed by the nation’s top law firms. Initial drafts are forwarded to you for checking before hard copies are posted for signing. The free service also includes registration work should the client decide to register their LPAs with the Office of The Public Guardian. However, the optional government registrations fees of £82 per document must be paid by the client. If the client earns less than £12,000 annually a fee reduction of 50% can be claimed. If the client receives certain state benefits they may be exempt of the government fee. The company’s work to claim these fee concessions is also included in the free service. However, should the client decide not to register their LPAs immediately they will be personally responsible for dealing with the registration process.
Equity Legal provide valid duplicates of registered LPAs. These are essential in the event of loss or destruction at time of need. LPA documents may be required by different utility companies, Insurance and banking institutions that may be slow to return them. Equity legal is unaware of any legal services firm that provides this valid duplicate LPA service in their standard pricing.
Storage
The Company strongly recommends the client to return their original signed Will and LPAs for free professional storage in a fire proof strong room with King’s Court Trust, one of the UK’s leading probate & estate administration specialists. Many law firms charge £60 per Will annual storage fees, but this is also Free and the client is not obliged to appoint Kings Court to deal with their probate. The only possible fee payable is an administration charge, presently £7.50 if documents are withdrawn, but refunded if returned for storage.
National Wills Register
When the client’s Will is returned to Equity Legal for professional storage with Kings Court the location of the original Will is entered on the National Will Register Free of charge (normally £30 per Will). Kings Court address is also shown on the front cover of the client’s copy Will, but if lost or destroyed, the first port of call for Executors is the National Wills Register.
The Client(s) Undertakes to:
Accept that signing this form provides the client’s Free Family Legal Protection certificate valid for 90 days from date of issue subject to the following:
Permits Equity Legal to introduce one of their panel of partners to provide information related to one or more of the following specialist services:
- FIXED PRICE FUNERAL PLANS
- REGULATED EQUITY RELEASE ADVICE
- BARRISTER’S PROBATE AVOIDANCE TRUST
- REGULATED IFA INVESTMENT AND PENSIONS
- REGULATED MORTGAGES AND RE-MORTGAGES
- REGULATED LIFE INSURANCE & CRITICAL ILLNESS
There is no obligation on the client to proceed with Equity Legal partner’s advice or recommendations. However, the client accepts that to qualify for free legal work, the client must proceed with a selected product or service via an Equity Legal recommended partner within 90 days of the client’s certificate issue date.
If the client approaches the partner directly before or after their certificate is issued, the client understands they will not qualify for the company’s Free Family Legal Protection work. Only Equity Legal must introduce the client to the company’s partner to qualify so Equity Legal are compensated with a modest introduction fee. Essentially, the client is no worse off than had they dealt directly with our partner but have the extra benefit of substantial estate planning and family legal protection. It is emphasised that an important factor in the company’s choice of partners is that customer costs are kept to a minimum and that client preferential terms are the most competitive available.
If the client already has a Will Trust and or LPAs, the client may transfer their Free legal work entitlement to a family member or friend. In this context, the client accepts responsibility for completing their chosen product or service via one of the company’s approved partners before free legal work can be provided.
When the client has instructed the company’s partner to arrange a recommended product or service, Equity Legal provide the Client with an on line Estate Planning Questionnaire that must be completed by the client, so the company can provide the client’s Free high value legal services.
The Client’s free legal work is promptly delivered only on completion of the client’s selected product or service via the company’s chosen partner. The only exception to this rule applies in relation to equity release companies that insist ‘Lasting Power of Attorneys for Property and Financial Affairs’ must be in place to qualify for Equity Release ‘Draw Down Plans’. In this instance, Equity Legal will fast track client’s Financial LPAs, so they are able to qualify for their equity release without delay.
The client accepts that the Equity Legal Free Family Protection Certificate bears no monetary redemption value whatsoever and that the offer represents solely free services in kind up to the maximum equivalent value of seventeen hundred pounds. The ‘equivalent value is based on the Equity Legal standard schedule of Client Fee Choices prevailing at the date of this agreement. The Free Family Legal Protection offer is dependent on the client completing their product or service through an Equity Legal partner.
