In UK, legal app to make ‘wills’ gets £150,000 initial investment

feature-top

April 21: As legal technology continues to make waves through the coronavirus, a new app in the UK to help people make their wills has secured an initial £150,000 investment and The Link App has announced further backing to help it go international.

The news comes as the Law Society has urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to ensure the legal tech companies are eligible for the new £1.25billion government support package announced on Monday to help businesses driving innovation and development through the coronavirus outbreak, Legal Futures reported.

The app — Smart Will — claims to have been approached by several investors, including one from Silicon Valley in the US and to be in discussions with several unnamed law firms.

The app is already available in beta. Founder and managing director Chris Fisher said it has several features designed to appeal to younger buyers, including a low price for the sector, biometric security and even the ability to arrange for users’ ashes to be sent into space.

He ran a personal injury and financial claims company for seven years before selling it and going to work with the entrepreneur who has since pumped £150,000 into Smart Will, Matthew Sanders. It is to seek a further £300,000 of growth capital by crowdfunding on the platform Seedrs.

Part of the money raised from crowdfunding would be used to launch a “probate service and property sales service”, he said.

A single will currently costs £19, with free updates and storage of a hard copy.

Mr Fisher confirmed the company did not employ lawyers of its own and was “in the middle of building our panel and still looking to work with solicitors around the country”.

He said he was in talks with three law firms, although no agreement had been signed. Several UK investors had expressed interest, as had one from Silicon Valley.

So far, he said, while 1,500 users had registered via the app, “not all have completed their will [and] we are nurturing [them] to complete”.

Add a Comment