The Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) National Wills Week is a public outreach programme that has been successfully running since 2008. This year, the LSSA National Wills Week campaign will take place during the week of 11 to 15 September 2023. During this week, members of the public will be able to have a basic will drafted free of charge. Attorneys’ firms throughout the country register with the LSSA to become participants in this initiative. The LSSA National Wills Week is advertised to the public during the month of August, alerting the public of participating law firms. Members of the public are then directed to the LSSA website where they can see the list of participating law firms per province and are able to contact the law firm directly and book an appointment.

The LSSA National Wills Week is now an established highlight among the profession’s social outreach and access to justice initiatives. This is thanks to the thousands of attorneys who participate by giving generously of their time and skills. The LSSA National Wills Week has also attracted increasing coverage in the media, as well as support from major stakeholders.

The aim of the LSSA National Wills Week campaign is twofold, namely to –

• position attorneys as the premier providers of wills and estates services to the public, and to improve the image of the profession generally; and
• encourage members of the public who would not normally make use of the services of an attorney, or who may hesitate to consult an attorney to have a basic will drafted.

How does the LSSA National Wills Week work?

Your firm will be provided with free posters in the language combination of your choice to publicise your participation. Provision is made on the posters for your firm’s contact details.

Your firm will be listed as a participating firm on the database of participating firms on the LSSA’s website.

A national media campaign will be launched early in August. All media and publicity material will invite members of the public to consult the LSSA website for the contact details of participating firms.

What is expected from you as a participating firm?

• The firm will draw up basic wills free of charge.
• The firm will provide an explanation of the importance of having a properly and professionally drafted will to the client.
• You may not insist that you are appointed as the executor of the estate.
• You must give the client a copy of their will.
• You will not be expected to redraft or amend existing wills for free, nor will you be expected to draft complex wills involving trusts, etcetera.

Register your law firm for the LSSA National Wills Week here: www.lssa.org.za.

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2023 (July) DR 3.