A couple who set up their own will writing company have told of all the strangest requests they have received – including being paid in crabs.
Robert and Gill Phipps set up Pembroke Will Writers in 2000 with a second-hand laptop and printer in the dining room of their home.
A quarter of a century and 30,000 wills later, they have probably seen and heard it all – from requests with no legal bearing to families challenging what loved ones had wanted.
In one of the strangest encounters over the years, the family-run company based in Gillingham, Kent, say they were paid for their services with a live crab.
Robert, aged 62, said: “I had a client who couldn’t pay me, but we always talked about seafood, so he gave me a huge live crab as part of the payment.
“It had elastic bands around its claws. I felt so bad for it, so I drove it down to Sharp’s Green in Gillingham and released it into the sea.
“I was worried someone might think I was up to something suspicious, so I actually called the police to let them know.
“I said ‘If anyone reports someone acting suspicious, it’s just me, putting a crab back into the sea.’”
Because of client confidentiality, Robert said he can’t go into too many details, but says it’s often tricky to marry people’s requests with what is legally possible.
For example, he once had a mom who wanted to ensure her sons didn’t spend their inheritance on “fast cars and fast women”.
He said: “Who defines fast women? I tried to explain that you can’t really put that in a will. All what will happen is there’ll be endless court arguments over what counts as a ‘fast car’ or ‘fast woman’.
“We always tell clients not to rule from the grave; if you’re leaving money, it’s better to trust people to use it wisely.”
While most wills involve relatively modest sums, Robert and Gill, 61, have dealt with some major arrangements, including “someone from London” who had over $108 million to leave.
At the other end of the scale, there are often issues arising with recipients not being happy or entirely truthful about their circumstances.
For example, someone asked to have their inheritance paid into their sister’s bank account, even though the law required the payment to go directly to them.
Robert added: “It was likely they were on benefits and didn’t want the money to go into their own account for fear of losing those benefits. But you have to pay the inheritance directly to them.”
Over their years in the industry the family-run business have also seen several cases of people disagreeing with their loved ones wishes.
Robert said: “It’s becoming more and more regular since the pandemic. Because of changing circumstances, people have been desperate for money, so they’ll challenge a will when they know they’ve got no real chance of winning. We’ve never had one challenged and won.”
Before starting the company Robert did a stint in the Royal Navy, which he joined at 16, and 11 years as a Kent policeman, before becoming a financial advisor.
It was common to deal with people who’d made no arrangements for their deaths, so he started thinking.
He said: “I thought it’d be a good idea if we could recommend somebody, so I spoke to my wife’s cousin in Norfolk, who wrote wills, and asked whether we could recommend him.
“He said ‘no’ because he was miles away, but suggested we did it ourselves with his help.”
The Falklands veteran joined the Institute of Professional Will Writers and has passed various courses over the years to gain the qualifications needed.
Robert says that his time in the navy and police helped train him on how to stay calm while talking to those who lost loved ones- which now comes in handy.
The business owner also encourages others to not put off writing their will, especially in the age of blended families.
He said: “The law only follows the bloodline. So, for example, my own son has two sons, but one of them, his wife already had when he met her.
“If we didn’t put it in our will, the law wouldn’t recognise him as our grandson.
“It’s very important in a will, especially now with second relationships and children from previous marriages.”
To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the business owners are planning a special event on June 18 at their office in Watling Street.
Their children, Gareth, 37, and Leah, 35, have been with them in the business from the very beginning.
“They’d been helping us out for years,” Robert added. “And one day, they’d probably take over.
“I’m sure they’d have their own funny stories to tell…”
