Preparing a Will and discussing details of a client’s estate is often a personal matter. This sometimes means Will writers use home visits at the client’s residence instead of meeting in the offices – but as Will writers, do you consider your personal safety when visiting new clients in their homes?
More often and not later life planning is made much less daunting for the client when they arrange an appointment in their own home to go through their wishes.
There can be many reasons for personal home visits which could be ill health or just the fact the client feels much more relaxed in their own environment.
Whatever the reason, as a legal professional, it’s important to be aware of your personal safety and take sensible precautions just in case you get into difficulty, especially if you are attending the meeting alone – as there have been instances of lawyers being attacked by clients during out of hours meetings.
Here are three basic guidance steps on personal safety:
- If you have not met your client before, make sure they are who they say they are.
- Make sure you advise your colleagues/office who you are visiting and when
- Females are generally advised to avoid lone visits to males and males to lone females. You need to make your own judgment on this – if you feel more comfortable take a colleague with you.
Offering personal home visits for your clients to get all their affairs in order is no doubt a valuable service as you can get to know your client better and understand their wishes – you are much better equipped at giving them the correct advice and addressing their needs as Wills can sometimes be complex.
Nevertheless, you should still consider your own wellbeing when visiting clients’ homes as they are still essentially a stranger – a work appointment does not make it safer!
As a legal professional, do you feel safe carrying out home visits?
