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Aipedia: Will writers and estate planners
A will firm that lets a chatbot take instructions or answer questions is responsible for what the bot says, just as if a member of staff had said it. Consumer AI will tools are available, and the Legal Services Board has found that binding standards for them are almost absent.
Part of: AI in Will writers and estate planners
In short
Firms use chatbots to answer enquiries, collect instructions and guide clients through online will journeys, while some consumers may try DIY AI wills. IPW clause 5.9 requires the limits of remote instructions and Consumer Contracts Regulations rights to be explained in writing. The Legal Services Board reported in June 2026 that binding standards for consumer AI legal tools are "nearly nonexistent". Fully automated journeys may engage the UK GDPR automated decision-making rules in force since 5 February 2026. Advice given by a firm’s bot is usually treated as the firm’s advice for PI purposes.
Will firms deploy chatbots on their websites to answer common questions, qualify enquiries and start online instruction forms. Some services go further and let the client build a will through a conversation with an AI assistant, with a person checking only at the end, or not at all. Outside the professional market, consumers use generative AI chatbots to write their own wills and then bring them to a will writer to "check", or rely on them without any professional involvement.
For a firm, the line between information and advice is easy to cross. A bot asked "do I need a trust to protect my house from care fees?" or "can my partner inherit if we are not married?" will usually answer, and the client will act on that answer.
IPW Code clause 5.9 requires the limits of remote instructions and the client's rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations to be explained in writing. Clause 5.3 requires the member to be satisfied the client acts freely and understands the service, which is harder to show when instructions come only through a chatbot. SWW Code clauses 4.1 to 4.3 require clear client information and a written summary of instructions and recommendations, and clause 6.3 requires capacity and free-will checks.
The Legal Services Board reported in June 2026 that binding standards for consumer AI legal tools are "nearly nonexistent" and that consumers want accuracy guarantees, human oversight and redress. Separately, the UK GDPR automated decision-making provisions inserted by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 came into force on 5 February 2026 (SI 2026/82). They may be relevant where an online will or LPA journey makes significant decisions about a person with no human involvement, and they include safeguards such as the ability to obtain human intervention.
Illustrative scenario: a firm's website chatbot tells an unmarried client that his partner "will inherit as next of kin" and that a simple will can wait. He dies without making one. His partner receives nothing under the intestacy rules and must consider a claim against the estate. She complains that the firm's bot gave wrong information and seeks compensation from the firm.
Other risks include a chatbot recommending a product or trust the firm is not competent or authorised to advise on, a DIY AI will the firm "checked" only for spelling, and a remote journey where a relative typed the instructions. Identity risks are covered in AI ID checks and will fraud.
Statements made by a firm's chatbot in the course of its business are usually treated as the firm's own, so a negligent answer may lead to a PI claim like any other negligent advice, subject to the policy terms. Some PI wordings define professional services narrowly or exclude certain technology risks, and the firm should make sure its online service is declared. If you build or license a bot, also consider AI chatbot insurance. More detail is in does will writer PI cover AI errors.
Disclosure of AI use to clients is covered in telling will clients you use AI, and signing online-produced wills in electronic wills and signing errors.
Apex arranges PI for will firms with online and chatbot services, and a broker can check that your policy describes them. See AI in will writing and will writer insurance.
Usually yes. A chatbot on your website speaks for your business, and a client who relies on a wrong answer may bring a claim. Disclaimers help, but a court may not treat them as decisive if the bot appeared to give advice.
IPW clause 5.9 requires the limits of remote instructions and Consumer Contracts Regulations rights to be explained in writing. SWW members must give clear client information and a written summary of instructions under clauses 4.1 to 4.3.
Not specifically. Will writing is not a regulated activity, and the Legal Services Board found in June 2026 that binding standards for consumer AI legal tools are nearly nonexistent.
You can, but agree the scope in writing and treat it as a full review if you are paid for one. A light check that misses a basic error may still be relied on by the client and the family.
Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Start a PI quote Request a callbackApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
