Law of Wills, Succession & Grants of Representation Module — CLC Level 4 Diploma in Probate Law and Practice

What will I be able to do after completing Law of Wills?

Short answer
Take instructions for a Will, draft a preliminary outline, advise on types of legacy and tax considerations, apply for the correct Grant of Representation, administer an estate from collecting assets to final distribution, prepare estate accounts, and advise on the remedies available to creditors and beneficiaries. This is the module that turns academic knowledge into probate-specific competence.

Take instructions and draft a preliminary outline of a Will

This is the first learning outcome in the SQA specification, and it's the skill that opens every Will instruction. After completing the module, you'll be able to take initial instructions from a client, identify the relevant information (personal details, marital status, dependants, assets, existing Wills, testamentary capacity), and produce a preliminary outline of a Will that complies with CLC Guidelines and the client's instructions. You'll also know how to identify and comply with Anti-Money Laundering obligations at the instruction-taking stage — a regulatory requirement that applies from the first client meeting.

Advise on types of Will, provisions, and tax considerations

You'll understand the different types of Will (mutual, mirror, privileged), the different types of legacy (specific, pecuniary, demonstrative, general), how the doctrine of ademption applies, and the trustee powers that arise when a Will creates trusts for children (maintenance, education, advancement). You'll also be able to advise on Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax planning in the context of Will drafting — the practical steps a client can take to reduce the tax liability on their estate.

Apply the rules of intestacy and identify who inherits

You'll know the statutory framework for intestate succession — who inherits, in what order, and in what proportions — and how it interacts with partial intestacy when a Will doesn't dispose of the entire estate. In practice, this is one of the most frequently asked questions in probate: "my [relative] died without a Will — who gets what?" After this module, you'll be able to answer it accurately.

Identify the correct Grant and manage the application

You'll understand the three main types of Grant, the order of entitlement under the Non-Contentious Probate Rules, and the practical steps for applying to the Probate Registry — including which documents are required, what Oaths need to be sworn, and how to deal with complications (caveats, citations, renunciation, limited grants). This is the procedural skill that turns a bereaved family's situation into a formal legal process.

Administer an estate from collection to distribution

From registering the Grant with banks and financial institutions through to preparing the final estate accounts and distributing assets to beneficiaries, you'll understand the full administration process. You'll know how to protect personal representatives from claims (s.27 Trustee Act 1925 advertisements), how to deal with missing beneficiaries, how to handle both solvent and insolvent estates, and how to prepare the financial estate records that demonstrate the estate has been properly administered. This is the core operational competence of a probate practitioner.

Advise on family provision claims and remedies

You'll understand the IPFDA framework — who can claim, what "reasonable provision" means, and what orders the court can make — and the broader remedies available to creditors and beneficiaries. In practice, this is the knowledge that allows you to advise executors on how to manage the risk of a claim during administration, and to recognise when a potential claim needs to be taken seriously rather than dismissed.

What's included in the £555 module price?

Short answer
The full Diploma support package: Knowledge Mapping Assessment, unlimited tutor support, 24/7 student advisor, video lectures, downloadable materials, live recorded webinars, eBook Central access, your final assignment, and a free first reassessment.

What our students say about Law of Wills

Feedback from Level 4 Probate students, 2025–2026.

How is the Law of Wills module assessed?

Short answer
One written assignment with a 28-day window from release. The assignment is released instantly when you click a link in the VLE — 24/7. Two attempts are permitted (first sit plus one free reassessment). 99% of students pass first time (Mar 2025 – Mar 2026).

The assignment is structured across three assessed components, worth 100 marks in total, all completed within the same 28-day window.

The assignment is divided into three parts, worth 100 marks in total, all completed within the same 28-day window. The components cover Will drafting and client advice, estate administration for an intestate estate, and remedies available to creditors and beneficiaries — testing all five learning outcomes through realistic case study scenarios.

The assessment is open-book and completed in your own time. There is no time-pressure exam, and no enforced waiting period between your first sit and reassessment. Preparation support includes tutor feedback on practice questions, live webinars, and unlimited email support throughout your 28-day window.

This is a probate-specific assessment. Unlike the shared modules — where you apply general legal principles to hypothetical scenarios — here you work with probate documentation and processes: Will instructions, Grants of Representation, estate accounts, tax calculations, and family provision claims. The case studies are designed to mirror the kinds of matters you'd handle in practice.

How long does the Law of Wills module take to complete?

Short answer
It depends on what you already know — and in this module, whether you already work in probate makes a significant difference. The module carries 60 guided learning hours and 120 hours total qualification time — set by Qualifications Scotland as part of the Ofqual-regulated qualification framework. A typical student new to probate and studying alongside full-time work takes 3–4 months. An experienced probate assistant or will-writer who completes the Knowledge Mapping Assessment and already deals with Wills and estate administration daily can finish in as little as 2–4 weeks.

If you're new to probate

Most students studying Law of Wills for the first time, working full-time, and dedicating 2–3 hours per week to study complete the module in 3–4 months. There are no fixed terms, no cohort start dates, and no scheduled teaching sessions you need to attend at a set time — you work through the materials at your own pace, attend live webinars when they suit you (or watch the recordings), and contact your tutor whenever you need support.

When you're ready for your assessment, you apply through the VLE and it's released instantly — 24/7, no waiting. You then have a maximum of 28 days to complete and submit the written assignment, but you can submit at any point within that window. If you finish in 10 days, submit in 10 days.

If you already work in probate

This is the module where the Knowledge Mapping Assessment has the biggest impact — alongside Standard Conveyancing Transactions on the Conveyancing side. If you're already working in a Wills and Probate department, you're already familiar with much of what this module teaches — taking Will instructions, applying for Grants, dealing with banks and the Probate Registry, preparing estate accounts. The KMA identifies that existing competence and tells you which topics you can skip, which need light revision, and which need thorough study from scratch.

For experienced probate assistants, the topics that most often need formal study are the areas you do instinctively but haven't studied academically: the formal validity requirements for Wills (you've seen hundreds of Wills but may not know the Banks v Goodfellow test by name), the rules of intestate succession beyond the most common scenarios, the IPFDA framework for family provision claims, and the tax detail (IHT reliefs and exemptions beyond the nil-rate band and spouse exemption). The KMA pinpoints these gaps so you focus your time where it matters.

For experienced practitioners, this can reduce the effective study time to 2–4 weeks. The assessment requirements don't change — you still sit the same 28-day assignment as every other student — but the preparation time shrinks because you're not re-learning what you already do every day.

Can I upgrade to the full Diploma after passing Law of Wills?

Short answer
Yes — but only if Standard Conveyancing Transactions is the first standalone module you've purchased with us. The upgrade path is available once, within 30 days of being notified you've passed your first module. If you've already completed other standalone modules before Standard Conveyancing Transactions (for example, English Legal System or Land Law), you've chosen the modular route and the upgrade option is no longer available.

If Law of Wills is your first module, the mechanics are simple. Within 30 days of passing, you can transfer onto the Level 4 Probate Diploma. You pay the difference between what you've already paid (£555) and the Diploma price (£2,310) — so £1,755 extra. Your total spend is identical to enrolling on the Diploma from day one.

Note that this upgrade path leads to the Probate Diploma only — Law of Wills doesn't count toward the Conveyancing Diploma. If you're considering Conveyancing, the upgrade path from a single module still works, but you'd need to start with a shared module (English Legal System, Contract Law, or Land Law) to keep both routes open.

If you decide not to upgrade within the 30-day window — or if you let the window lapse — you can still complete the remaining modules individually. Your passed modules count toward the Diploma and you won't need to re-sit anything. The only difference is pricing: buying all five modules individually costs £2,670, compared to the £2,310 Diploma price — a difference of £360.

If you decide not to continue at all, you've invested £555, you hold a certificate and 12 credits from Qualifications Scotland, and you've experienced our VLE, materials, webinars, and tutor support firsthand.

Not sure which route is right for you? If you're fairly confident you want the Probate Diploma, enrolling on it from the start saves £360 and gives you 2 years of VLE access (versus 12 months per standalone module). If you're genuinely unsure, starting with a shared module (English Legal System, Contract Law, or Land Law) keeps both the Conveyancing and Probate upgrade paths open.

Who is the Law of Wills module for?

Short answer
Anyone studying toward a CLC qualification in probate — whether you're a probate assistant formalising your role, a career changer entering the profession, an experienced fee-earner filling a specific gap, or someone who's already completed the three shared modules and is now adding the Probate-specific content.

Probate assistants and paralegals

You're already working in a Wills and Probate department — taking instructions, liaising with executors, corresponding with banks and the Probate Registry, preparing draft applications — but you don't yet hold the formal CLC qualification. Law of Wills is probably the module closest to what you already do. The difference is that you're doing it from experience and from what your supervisor taught you — this module gives you the formal framework, the statutory underpinning, and the academic depth behind the practical skills you use every day. The KMA will recognise that existing competence and focus your study on the gaps — typically the formal validity requirements, advanced intestacy scenarios, IPFDA claims, and the tax detail.

Career changers

You're moving into probate from another field. We recommend studying English Legal System, Contract Law, and Land Law before Law of Wills, because the earlier modules provide the legal foundations this one builds on — but this isn't a requirement, and some career changers choose to study the probate-specific module first precisely because it gives context to the theory that follows. You'll have the same support as every Diploma student: a named tutor (response within one working day), a personalised Knowledge Mapping Assessment, live webinars, and 24/7 student advisor support.

Will-writers and financial services professionals

You already draft Wills or deal with estate-related work in a financial services context, but you want the formal CLC qualification. This is the module where your existing knowledge counts most — and where the KMA compresses study time most dramatically. You already understand the client conversation, the types of legacy, the basic tax planning. The module fills in the formal legal structure around what you already do: the statutory validity requirements, the Non-Contentious Probate Rules, the administration process, and the remedies framework.

Conveyancing Diploma graduates adding Probate

You've completed the Level 4 Conveyancing Diploma and now want to add the Probate qualification. Law of Wills is the only Level 4 module you need — the four shared modules (English Legal System, Contract Law, Land Law, and Understanding Accounting Procedures) are already in your record. You buy this single module at £555, pass the assignment, and your Probate Diploma is complete.

Employers funding targeted training

Some firms enrol individual staff on Law of Wills as a way to formalise the practical competence of experienced probate assistants, or to fill a specific gap for a team member who's completed the academic modules elsewhere. The module carries the same support package as the full Diploma — it's a fair trial of everything we offer.

Do I need any prior qualifications to study Law of Wills?

Short answer
No. There are no formal entry requirements — no prior law degree, no legal experience, no specific GCSEs or A-levels. The module is open to anyone. What matters is motivation and a willingness to engage with the material.

We recommend studying English Legal System, Law of Contract, and Land Law before Law of Wills, because this module applies the legal principles taught in those three modules to probate-specific scenarios. Contract formation becomes the duty of care owed by the Will draftsman; land law becomes the rules governing how property in the estate devolves; the English legal system becomes probate jurisdiction. You'll get more from the material if you have the theoretical foundations in place — but this is a recommendation, not a requirement. You can take the modules in any order.

If you do hold prior qualifications (a law degree, CILEX, SQE1 FLK2, NALP, STEP, or others), you may be exempt from Law of Wills entirely — see the exemptions section below or use the exemptions section below or use the Exemptions Calculator to check.

The Knowledge Mapping Assessment at the start of the module will tailor your study plan regardless of your background. If you're completely new to probate, it maps out the full syllabus. If you already handle Wills and estate administration and have practical familiarity with most topics, it identifies your gaps and focuses your study time there.

Am I exempt from the Law of Wills module?

Short answer
You might be — it depends on what you've already studied or qualified in. Several prior qualifications grant exemption from the entire Level 4 Diploma (Law of Wills included), and some grant exemption from this specific module alongside others. If you have four or more years of fee-earning experience, you may also qualify for the CLC's Professional Experience Exemption, which bypasses Level 4 altogether. Use our Exemptions Calculator for a personalised assessment in minutes.

You're exempt from Law of Wills if you hold an SQE1 FLK2 pass. FLK2 exempts Land Law, Law of Wills and Understanding Accounting Procedures at Level 4 — leaving English Legal System and Contract Law still to complete.

You're also exempt from Law of Wills if you hold a CILEX CPQ Advanced course (which includes Private CLient). You'd still need to complete certain other Level 4 modules — the Exemptions Calculator shows you exactly which.

You're exempt from the entire Level 4 Diploma (Law of Wills included) if you hold a complete law degree (LLB, BA in Law, or GDL), both SQE1 FLK1 and FLK2, CILEX Level 6 or CPQ Professional qualifications, a NALP Level 4 Diploma with the relevant elective, or an LPC with the right units passed in the last 6 years.

STEP qualifications provide a specific route into the Probate Diploma at Level 6. If you hold a STEP Advanced Certificate in Will Preparation and either Administration of Estates or Administration of Trusts, you're exempt from the entire Level 4 Probate Diploma and need only Managing Client and Office Accounts at Level 6. If you hold a STEP Advanced Certificate in Administration of Estates or Administration of Trusts (without the Will Preparation certificate), you're exempt from Level 4 but need both Managing Client and Office Accounts and Law of Wills, Succession and Grants of Representation at Level 6.

The Professional Experience Exemption is a separate route for experienced fee-earners with four or more years of continuous probate practice. PEE bypasses the entire Level 4 Diploma.. Learn more about PEE on the CLC website.

Other common questions