Supported by the Institute of Legacy Management, specialist contentious probate firm IDR Law releases new LegalTech product for the charity legacy sector.
This week sees the launch of the IDR Claim Checker for charities, an intuitive online tool providing Legacy Officers and Junior Legacy Officers with an immediate assessment of claims affecting their legacy gifts.
In 2020 legacy gifts were valued at £3 billion per year, and this figure is set to rise, with legacy gifts on the increase your charity may well be faced with a challenge.
The IDR Charity Claim Checker is an online tool designed to guide Legacy Officers through these tricky situations, giving an immediate assessment of 1975 Act Claims and provides an answer on whether the claim has merit.
When a claim letter arrives, it can be a worrying time for Legacy Officers, and there are lots of important issues for charities to consider when dealing with a claim. It’s crucial to understand the facts when evaluating the claim, so they can make the right decisions for all parties. There is information and guidance through the form to help them evaluate the claim, guiding on the steps they’ll need to take to respond appropriately, to help make an informed decision on the best course of action.
On completion of the Claim Checker they’ll receive a unique report with tailored advice specific to the claim, giving Legacy Officers the confidence to explain the situation to trustees and senior management.
Martin Holdsworth, CEO & Founder of IDR Law comments on the launch.
“As the only law firm in the UK that specialises in handling inheritance disputes and nothing else, we have been able to focus on a myriad of different ways that we can help our clients. We are well known for creating and harnessing legal tech to support our clients and referrers and it was inevitable that we would turn our attention to the charity legacy dispute sector.
Having taken our time in listening to the needs of legacy officers and the views and suggestions of those that support them – the ILM and Legacy Link, we are delighted to say that our long-awaited Claim Checker – the Charity legacy edition has been completed and soft launched this week. With charity legacy disputes on the rise, our Claim checker is a wholly free and innovative legal tech tool that helps you assess and deal with incoming claims from the point at which they land on a charity’s desk – there is a fast track feature where court proceedings land out of the blue and annotated guidance throughout – we even cross reference further reading that appears in our IDRN service for those wanting to know a bit more. Crucially – the service produces a summary of merits of the claim for you and your Trustees alike!”
The tool has been tested on the key audience throughout, learning about the context of legacy claims and protocol in these situations. As a result, the form provides all the guidance and answers Legacy Officers need in that situation.
Paul Browne, Head of Legacy Administration at Legacy Link and one of the user research testers comments on the support it will provide:
“An interesting tool and a good guide for Legacy Officers.
One of the first things I tell people when facing a claim is to be calm, understand what you’re facing, and take a breath.
The claim checker is a useful tool in helping Legacy Officers understand exactly what it is they are facing and the reality of it, rather than the worry that immediately incurs when the letter drops in the inbox.
It’s a wonderful tool to get them over the line to understand the nature of claim and see instantly if it has any legs.”
The Claim Checker is available to use via the Institute of Legacy Management’s website, Matthew Lagden, CEO had this to say.
“ILM has been delighted to work with IDR Law to support the development of their Claim Checker. This tool will be very helpful for members when they are assessing the strength of claims, and we are very pleased that IDR Law have agreed that ILM can host it on our website.
We are constantly working with partners such as IDR Law to improve the support that ILM can offer members, and this is a great use of innovative technology”.
The tool is also available to use today on the IDRN, a referral and support network set up by IDR Law, that provides all of the resources needed when a contentious case lands on your desk.
ILM members can use the Claim Checker here. Or login/register to the IDRN to access the Claim Checker.
