SWWEPP Wills & Estate Planning Certificate

Starting a career in estate planning requires technical discipline, high ethical standards, and a deep respect for client care. The SWWEPP Wills and Estate Planning Certificate Course is our intensive, four-day introductory programme designed specifically for beginners and newcomers to the profession.

It provides the vital foundations and core knowledge needed to understand succession law, take robust instructions, and avoid critical early pitfalls.

Setting Expectations – The Starting Point, Not the Finish Line

We believe in complete transparency with anyone entering this profession.

A four-day course will not make you an expert overnight, nor does it guarantee commercial success.

Estate planning is a nuanced, legally accountable discipline. Cramming the foundations of testamentary capacity, intestacy, trusts, and taxation into four intensive days is a demanding undertaking. This course is designed to give you a solid, reliable footing:

• It teaches you the essentials to start taking basic instructions safely. • It trains you to recognise where your competency ends and when to refer or seek further support. • It embeds professional risk management, compliance standards, and indemnity realities from day one.

Passing this course is step one of your professional journey. True competence and long-term success are built afterwards through practical drafting experience, regular mentoring, document checking, and committed continuous professional development (CPD).

Who Is This Course For?

This course is structured primarily as an introductory-level programme for:

• Individuals seeking a structured, legally sound foundation before launching an estate planning or will writing practice. • Trainees, paralegals, or administrative team members stepping into client-facing private client work. • Financial advisers, mortgage brokers, and accountants seeking an essential foundational understanding to introduce basic will writing and LPA services safely into their existing practice.

Note: Practitioners with established caseloads or seeking advanced tax planning, trusts, or probate strategies should consult our advanced and specialist training pathways instead.

The 4-Day Intensive Curriculum

The schedule is fast-paced, dense, and practical. Expect 4 full days in the classroom alongside structured evening assignments to reinforce learning.

Day 1 – Foundations, Instructions & Core Documentation

• Establishing what estate planning entails and setting duty of care. • Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs): Property & Financial Affairs vs Health & Welfare, donor capacity, and execution. • Introduction to Wills: Section 9 requirements, appointing executors and guardians, gifts, and residuary structures. • Evening Practical: Completing your own comprehensive Fact-Find to experience instruction-taking from the client’s seat.

Day 2 – Intestacy, Risk, Claims & Taxation

• The Intestacy Rules, per stirpes distribution, and the consequences of dying without a valid will. • Assessing testamentary capacity (Banks v Goodfellow), undue influence, and managing claims under the Inheritance Act 1975. • Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) requirements and practitioner exposure. • The Nil Rate Band, Transferable Nil Rate Band, RNRB basics, and introductory CGT rules. • Evening Practical: Introductory IHT calculation exercises.

Day 3 – Trusts & Asset Protection Mechanics

• Testamentary trusts: Bare trusts, Discretionary Trusts, and Life Interest / IPDI structures. • Introduction to Lifetime Trusts and their appropriate applications. • Fundamental trust taxation and compliance overviews. • Evening Practical: Directed revision and case study analysis.

Day 4 – Practice Realities, Assessment & Next Steps

• The business of estate planning: Ethics, marketing realities, fee structures, and managing client files. • Formal written assessment to verify your comprehension of the core syllabus. • Your Estate Planners Development Programme: Mapping out post-course supervision, document checking, technical support access, and CPD requirements.

What Happens After Day 4?

The end of the course marks the beginning of your professional development, not the end of it. To protect both you and your future clients, we don't simply hand you a certificate and leave you to it. Those who pass the examination and go on to join the Society as a full member will receive guidance on:

• Accessing The Society of Will Writers’ technical advice and document checking services to inspect your early drafts before they are signed by clients. • Securing required insurance coverage and establishing compliant client care procedures. • Progressing through further training on advanced instruction taking, trusts, business assets, vulnerable clients, and probate administration as your practice matures.

What Is Included

• 4 days of in-person, interactive training led by seasoned industry practitioners • Comprehensive printed course and reference materials • All daily lunches and classroom refreshments • Examination entry and marking • Formal Certificate of Completion upon passing • Roadmap on SWW membership, supervision, and ongoing support services

Book Your Place

Owing to the packed curriculum and hands-on teaching style, SWWEPP courses are kept strictly limited in size. We want to ensure that every delegate can ask questions, work through scenarios, and receive direct feedback throughout the week.

Upcoming Dates

• 1st – 4th of December 2026 o Tutor: Nick Ash o Venue: The College of Will Writing, Lincoln. • 2027 dates TBC.

Unsure whether this introductory course matches your current background or business plans? Contact our team on 01522 687 888 or email [email protected] for an honest appraisal of whether this is the right first step for you.

This course relates to the law as it applies in England & Wales and does not cover any other jurisdictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need prior legal qualifications to take this course?

No. The syllabus is designed to take delegates from the very basics of estate planning through to more advanced concepts. While an aptitude for analytical thinking and clear communication is necessary, no formal legal degree is required.

Does completing this course qualify me to set up an estate planning business straight away?

It provides the core legal and practical foundation to start taking basic instructions safely, but establishing a viable business also requires obtaining professional indemnity insurance, setting up compliant client-care procedures, and committing to ongoing technical supervision.

How is the course assessed?

Assessment takes place on the afternoon of Day 4 via an invigilated examination designed to test your technical comprehension, issue-spotting, and practical application on realistic case scenarios.

Can I join The Society of Will Writers after passing this course?

Yes; passing the certificate examination meets the primary educational requirement to apply for SWW membership, subject to the usual compliance and professional indemnity checks.

Is this course sufficient on its own, or will I need further training?

This course covers introductory essentials; as your caseload grows, you will need further modular training to handle more advanced topics and scenarios.

Do I need to take this certificate before enrolling on more advanced courses?

Yes, it serves as the essential baseline qualification, ensuring you have the core legal mechanics and drafting principles firmly in place before advancing to higher-level specialist modules.

Will I be able to draft complex trusts immediately after the course?

No; the syllabus introduces core trust structures and their taxation, but complex or bespoke arrangements require further targeted study and practical supervision before you advise on them independently.

What ongoing support is available once I launch my business?

SWW Members gain access to technical advice, document checking facilities, software partnerships, and local regional groups to support day-to-day client work.