I am in a good position to judge however, as I have worked in both positions - namely as a will writer with my own business, and in a solicitor's firm ( I have worked for many years in a solicitor's firm), experiencing that way of working too. Will writers specialise in Wills, and many solicitors do not, but solicitors have very good alternative experience, which comes in useful when looking at client risk, and possible outcomes.
So how should you judge where to go? Don't judge by price - cheap Wills may sound good, but you find that they send salespeople, or it is a new company with little experience, and expensive Wills do not mean better either! It is of course more likely that if you see an established solicitor, with 200 partners, and fees starting from £350 per hour, that the Will is going to do the job, but these are the key things I would recommend looking out for:
1. They are solicitors who are regulated by the SRA (check their SRA number online), or are a will writer with the IPW. The Institute of Professional Willwriters have the highest levels of consumer protection in the market.
2. The adviser is experienced. This often means that they also draft the Wills themselves. Some firms send off to 3rd parties, and this can be a red flag.
3. The have indemnity insurance (all regulated solicitors, and members of the IPW have to have this).
4. They offer a no obligation initial meeting. You can get a good feel for the adviser at a first meeting. Follow your feelings, and if you aren't sure, your gut is probably trying to tell you something.
5. Do they also offer probate? if they do, it is likely the individual or firm will have a much deeper understanding of Wills and their outcomes. This is where far fewer will writers have experience, and ever since I started managing estates, I can definitely say I had a better understanding of the outcome of the Wills I wrote.
I hope this helps, and there is nothing wrong in choosing advice based on anything you want, but take your time, and be happy you are going to get good support in the future, because we offer much lower ongoing costs for updated Wills for example. Many firms charge another full price. Thank you for reading!