How Scottish solicitors can use their skills to help worthy causes
Are you a solicitor looking to apply your skills and knowledge for the benefit of worthwhile causes?
There are a number of events happening in the weeks and months ahead which could benefit both your clients and a range of charities - whilst boosting future business for your firm.
1. Will Relief - September
Will Relief is an event that takes place in Scotland every September and aims to bring law firms and clients together to make money for charity.
Solicitors are invited to draw-up wills for clients, but instead of being charged a fee, the client is asked to make a voluntary donation to one of four Scottish-based charities. These charities specialise in the relief of overseas poverty.
2. Legal Walks - October
The Access to Justice Foundation will be hosting Legal Walks in Edinburgh and Glasgow on 10 October 2016. Participants will be raising money for local advice services hampered by reductions in government and local authority spending in an effort to prevent:
Homelessness
Destitution
Lack of advice for the elderly
Domestic servitude of trafficked women and children
The Legal Walk are open to legal professionals and members of the public who are interested in raising much-needed funds.
For more information on how you can take part, see:
3. Remember a Charity
Remember a Charity’s work revolves around encouraging a culture shift in will writing so that clients consider leaving part of their estate to a charity after they have provided for their family and friends.
The aim of Remember Aa Charity is to “make legacy giving a social norm” and to reduce the gap between the number of people who say they would like to leave money to a charity in their will, and those who actually do.
Firms who agree to support the scheme will be listed on the ‘Find an advisor’ page on Remember a Charity’s website.
Is this something you could promote to your clients?
Read more about the work of Remember A Charity
4. Will Aid - November
Will Aid is a UK-wide event that - in a similar way to Will Relief above - encourages solicitors to write a basic will for a client, but instead of paying their fee directly to the solicitor, clients are then asked to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid.
You can devote as much or as little time as you deem appropriate to the cause. The total amount donated from all Will Aid clients will then be divided up equally between the nine partner charities.
If you sign up to participate, Will Aid will direct local people wishing to make a will to your practice.
Over 300,000 people have made a will through Will Aid since the scheme began in 1988. And out of 150 polled Will Aid solicitors polled, 85% gained further fee-earning business following the initiative.
For details on how to take part, email enquiries@willaid.org.uk or visit their website.