1 / How We're Building the Will Product
legalhelp.
legalhelp.
Internal · Process overview · June 2026
How we're building
the will product.
What the product does, how the quality process works, where it is now, and the roadmap for improving it.
Product
Wills — Prototype stage
Stage
Active build
Date
2 June 2026
01What the product does
From a conversation to a signed will.
The user never sees any of the complexity. From their side: a guided conversation, then a document that arrives ready to sign.
01
Answer 18 questions

Plain English. No legal jargon. About 15 minutes. Questions about who they are, what they own, and who should receive it.

Built-in warnings for situations that need a solicitor — business interests, large estates, complex trusts. We say so rather than letting an inadequate will through.

↗ See all 18 questions
02
AI drafts the documents

Their answers go to Claude alongside a detailed brief we've written specifying exactly how each clause should be drafted.

Four documents come out in a single pass: the Will, Signing Instructions, a Cover Sheet, and an optional personal letter.

↗ See what's in the brief
03
We check the output

Multiple independent checks before the document is delivered. Four dedicated slides cover each one — what it is, who does what, and what it catches.

No will reaches a user without passing this process.

↗ Jump to quality checks
04
User signs, will is done

They print the will and the Signing Instructions. The instructions walk them through exactly how to sign with two witnesses — the most common failure point for DIY wills.

They store the signed original. Done.

↗ See the legal requirements
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026What the product does
02Why the questions matter
Every question maps to a legal clause.
Get the question wrong and the clause is wrong. Each of the 18 questions exists because a missing or incorrect answer produces a worse will.
👤
"Are you separated but not yet divorced?"
A legally separated person's spouse still inherits everything under UK law until divorce is final. Without this question, the will could leave money to an estranged ex.
🏠
"Do you own your home jointly with a partner?"
A jointly-owned home passes automatically to the survivor regardless of the will. Without explaining this, users believe they're leaving the house to their children when they aren't.
👶
"At what age should your children inherit?"
Many parents don't want an 18-year-old receiving a large inheritance outright. We ask: 18, 21, or 25. The will holds the money in trust until that age.
⚠️
"Do you have a significant stake in a business?"
If yes, we tell them to speak to a solicitor. Business succession is too complex for this product — and we say so rather than producing something inadequate.
📋
"Who gets everything if your first choice has already died?"
Without a named backup, the legal situation becomes uncertain. We ask for a fallback person — so there is always a clear chain of inheritance.
💑
"Are you living with a partner but not married?"
Cohabiting partners have no automatic right to inherit under English law. The will makes an explicit legal declaration of intent to protect them.
The point: we don't ask 18 questions because it takes 18 questions. We ask them because each one protects against a specific way a will can fail the person who made it.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Why the questions matter
03The output
What the user receives — and what they do with it.
Four documents, each with a clear label. The journey strip below shows what happens from delivery to a signed, stored will.
Document 1 — KEEP THE WILL
01
The Will
The legally operative document. Plain-English clauses drafted to professional standard — declaration, executors, specific gifts, residuary estate, STEP provisions, attestation clause.

Has no legal effect until correctly signed. Document 2 is the guide for doing this.
Sign it. Store the signed original safely.
Document 2 — DISCARD READ FIRST
02
Signing Instructions
Seven plain-English steps. Addresses the single most common failure: people sign in advance and then show it to witnesses, which makes the will void.

Step 4 says explicitly: "Do not sign before the witnesses are in the room."
Read before anything else. Then discard.
Document 3 — REFERENCE COVER
03
Cover Sheet
Branded summary in plain English: what this will does, who gets what, what to do next. Designed so a family member can pick it up and understand in two minutes.

Carries the legalhelp brand, the will reference number, and the reviewing solicitor's credentials.
Keep until the will is signed, then file or discard.
Document 4 — OPTIONAL PERSONAL
04
Personal Letter
Not legally binding. A private letter to the people they love — explaining why they made certain choices, messages to specific people, guidance on raising children, instructions for digital accounts.

Only generated if the user provides content. Often the most meaningful thing in the pack.
Keep with the will, or give copies to loved ones.
Step 1
Pack arrives by email
All four documents delivered to the user's account. No post, no waiting.
Step 2 — most important
Read Document 2 first
Before touching the will. The signing instructions tell them exactly what to do and — critically — what not to do.
Step 3
Print Document 1
Plain white A4 paper, black ink. No staples. The will must be a physical document.
Step 4
Sign with two witnesses
Testator signs first, both witnesses watching simultaneously. Both witnesses sign immediately after. All three in the room at the same time.
Step 5
Store the original safely
Tell the executor the exact location. Consider the National Will Register (~£25). The signed original is the legal document — copies are just for reference.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026What the user receives
03bPrototype output
Sample output: cover sheet + the will.
Real output from the current system — not a mock-up. Scroll to see the full document pack: cover sheet followed by the will itself.
legalhelp. Your Will is ready
John Alexander Smith
Will reference: LH-W-2026-06-01-4721 · Reviewed by Helen Trent TEP, Solicitor (SRA 615204) · 1 June 2026

What this Will does, in plain English

If you die, your wife Margaret receives your entire estate. Charitable gifts of £5,000 each go to Marie Curie and Crisis UK, and £2,500 to your brother Peter, before the rest passes to Margaret. If Margaret predeceases you, Sarah and Michael share equally. Sarah is your primary executor, with Michael as substitute.

Executors

Sarah Jane Smith (primary) · Michael David Smith (substitute)

Main beneficiary

Margaret Anne Smith — entire residue · Sarah & Michael equally if Margaret predeceases

Specific gifts

Marie Curie (£5,000) · Crisis UK (£5,000) · Peter James Smith (£2,500) · Rolex Oyster Perpetual to Michael

ImportantThis Will has no legal effect until signed with two adult witnesses. Read Document 2 (Signing Instructions) before touching the Will.

Sign before 29 June 2026 (28 days from drafting).

What's in your pack

Document 1 — Keep
The Will — sign it, store the signed original safely
Document 2 — Discard
Signing Instructions — read, follow, then discard
Document 3 — Reference
This cover sheet — keep until Will is signed

Next steps

  • Read Document 2 (Signing Instructions) before touching the Will
  • Print all three documents on white A4 paper
  • Sign the Will with two adult witnesses (follow Document 2 exactly)
  • Store the signed original Will where your executor can find it
  • Tell your executor the exact location
This is
The Last Will and Testament
of
John Alexander Smith
of 12 Acacia Road, London W4 5GH
Dated this first day of June, two thousand and twenty-six
I   Declaration
1.1I, JOHN ALEXANDER SMITH, of 12 Acacia Road, London W4 5GH, HEREBY REVOKE all former wills, codicils and testamentary dispositions previously made by me, and DECLARE this to be my last will and testament.
1.2I declare that I am over eighteen years of age and that I am of sound mind, memory and understanding.
1.3I declare that I have read and understood the provisions of this Will.
II   Appointment of Executor
2.1I appoint as primary Executor of this my Will my daughter SARAH JANE SMITH of 47 Burlington Gardens, London W4 2RL.
2.2If SARAH JANE SMITH shall be unable or unwilling to act, or shall predecease me, or shall fail to survive me by twenty-eight (28) clear days, then I appoint my son MICHAEL DAVID SMITH of 8 The Crescent, Twickenham TW1 3HF to be substitute Executor in her place.
III   Specific Gifts
3.1I give the following pecuniary legacies free of inheritance tax:
(a) the sum of five thousand pounds (£5,000) to MARIE CURIE (charity no. 207994). The receipt of the treasurer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executor;
(b) the sum of five thousand pounds (£5,000) to CRISIS UK (charity no. 1082947). The receipt of the treasurer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executor;
(c) the sum of two thousand five hundred pounds (£2,500) to my brother PETER JAMES SMITH, absolutely.
3.2I give my wristwatch (a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, serial 7842910) to my son MICHAEL DAVID SMITH, absolutely.
3.3If any beneficiary named in this Article III shall predecease me or shall fail to survive me by twenty-eight (28) clear days, that gift shall lapse and fall into my residuary estate.
IV   The Residuary Estate
4.1Subject to payment of my debts, funeral expenses, costs of administration, any inheritance tax payable on my estate (which shall be borne by and paid out of residue before distribution), and the specific gifts in Article III above, I give my entire residuary estate to my wife MARGARET ANNE SMITH absolutely, provided she survives me by twenty-eight (28) clear days.
4.2If MARGARET ANNE SMITH shall predecease me or fail to survive me by twenty-eight (28) clear days, I give my entire residuary estate to my daughter SARAH JANE SMITH and my son MICHAEL DAVID SMITH in equal shares absolutely.
4.3Long-stop. If all named beneficiaries fail to survive me, I give my entire residuary estate to MARIE CURIE (charity no. 207994) and CRISIS UK (charity no. 1082947) in equal shares.
V   Administrative Provisions
5.1My Executor shall have all the powers conferred on trustees and personal representatives by statute, including (without limitation) the Trustee Act 2000, and all ancillary powers necessary to give effect to this Will.
VI   Funeral Wishes
6.1It is my wish (without imposing any binding obligation) that my body be cremated and my ashes scattered at the Thames Path near Strand-on-the-Green.
VII   STEP Standard Provisions
7.1The Standard Provisions of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (3rd Edition) shall apply to this Will, save that the optional provisions shall not apply.
IN WITNESS whereof I have hereunto set my hand to this my Will on the date first written above.
SIGNED by the Testator JOHN ALEXANDER SMITH as his Last Will and Testament in our presence, and then by us in his:
Signature of Testator — JOHN ALEXANDER SMITHDate
WITNESS 1
SignatureDate
Full name (printed)
Address
Occupation
WITNESS 2
SignatureDate
Full name (printed)
Address
Occupation
Generated by LegalHelp from the testator's inputs. Solicitor-reviewed. Self-help legal tool — LegalHelp is not a law firm. This Will has no legal effect until signed in accordance with s.9 Wills Act 1837.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Prototype output
04Quality check · Step 1 of 4
Four AI reviewers, each with a different brief.
The AI that drafts the will is not the AI that checks it. Before building the reviewers, we used AI to research English will law in depth — the Wills Act 1837, STEP guidance, Law Society best practice, common probate failure modes. That research is what each brief is built on.
⚖️ Legal validity reviewer
Is every clause legally correct and complete?
Survivorship period — 28 clear days throughout
STEP Standard Provisions qualified ("save that optional provisions shall not apply")
IHT bearing clause present
Attestation wording exact per s.9 Wills Act 1837
Substitute executor, substitute beneficiary, disaster clause all present
📖 Plain English reviewer
Would a non-lawyer understand every clause?
No unexplained legal jargon
Plain-English summary on cover sheet matches the will's content
KEEP / DISCARD labels correctly applied
Questions asked in the flow map clearly to clauses in the output
✍️ Signing instructions reviewer
Could someone with no legal knowledge sign this correctly?
Steps in the right order — testator signs first
Critical warning present: do not pre-sign and show to witnesses
Witness disqualification rule clearly stated (beneficiaries cannot witness)
Storage and registration guidance practical and accurate
🎓 Professional standard reviewer
Would a qualified solicitor approve this without material changes?
Clause structure consistent with STEP best practice
Nothing missing that a solicitor would include for this fact pattern
Trustee powers appropriate to the estate type
Funeral wishes correctly framed as non-binding
🧑 Human oversight
Defines the standards. The team set the research questions and decided which legal standards to check against. Research itself was AI-conducted.
🔧 Prepared in advance
The reviewer briefs. Each of the four briefs above, built on AI-researched legal standards, is configured and tested before the loop runs.
AI on the spot
Reads the actual will in real time against its brief and returns a ranked issue list. Not a template check — it reasons about the specific document.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Quality check · Step 1 — Research & AI review
04Quality check · Step 2 of 4
We read the findings and fix what matters.
The AI reviewers surface issues. Deciding which to fix, and how, is a human decision. Then the changes are made and the loop runs again.
02
AI iterates
on itself

The findings from the four reviewers are synthesised by AI, which determines which issues are material, decides what to fix, and makes the changes to the question flow and drafting brief. This is largely AI iterating on its own output. The human role is high-level direction — setting priorities, not reviewing every individual finding. All changes are tracked and reversible.

In the last 48 hours: 6 new questions added, 12 legal terms replaced with plain English, a survivorship clause error fixed, two contradicting clauses resolved.

🧑 Human oversight
High-level direction only. The team sets priorities and approves the overall approach. Individual findings and fixes are handled by AI.
🔧 Prepared in advance
Version control means all changes are tracked and reversible. Nothing is overwritten — there's a full audit trail of every change made to the questions and the drafting brief.
AI does on the spot
AI reads the findings, decides what to fix, and makes the changes. This is the honest picture: AI is largely iterating on its own output at this stage of the process.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Quality check · Step 2 — Fix and iterate
04Quality check · Step 3 of 4
We test every screen visually.
After changes are made, we open the live product in a browser we control and check every screen — what it looks like, what data it's loading, whether documents display correctly.
03
Visual check
of the live product

After every change, we open the live product in a browser we control and inspect it as a real user would — screenshots of every screen, document labels, the sample output. We also check what's happening underneath: which version of each document is loading from the database, whether the data flowing through the product is correct. This catches problems that look fine on the surface but aren't. Ran four times in the last 48 hours.

🧑 Human oversight
The team reviews screenshots and confirms the product looks and behaves correctly — deciding whether anything needs fixing before the next step.
🔧 Prepared in advance
Browser automation tools are configured to open the live site, navigate through it, take screenshots, and capture network activity without manual interaction.
AI does on the spot
AI controls the browser, takes the screenshots, and inspects the data flowing through the product in real time — much faster than doing this manually for every change.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Quality check · Step 3 — Visual test
04Quality check · Step 4 of 4
The next step: external lawyer review.
The internal AI loop improves what it can see. The step that catches what AI cannot see is sending a batch of generated wills to an independent qualified lawyer.
4
External
lawyer review

Approximately 50 generated wills are sent to an independent TEP solicitor — not affiliated with legalhelp — for structured review. The solicitor provides clause-level feedback: what is wrong, why, and what professional standard was not met. This is not a pass/fail assessment; it is a detailed critique designed to surface the issues AI reviewers cannot find in their own output.

From that feedback, the team selects the issues to address, updates the reviewer briefs and drafting prompt, and re-runs the internal quality loop. This cycle repeats until the output is stable across the sample set. The entire process — which wills were reviewed, the solicitor's findings, what changes were made, the system version before and after — is documented for audit.

🧑 Human does
Selects which feedback to act on and decides what changes to make to the system. The judgment of which issues matter most is human, not AI.
⚖️ External lawyer
Independent TEP solicitor reviews ~50 sample wills and provides structured clause-level findings. Surfaces the unknown unknowns the AI loop cannot see in its own output.
AI on the spot
Re-runs the quality loop after each set of changes, checking the updated output against the refined briefs. The cycle continues until the sample set is stable.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Quality check · Step 4 — External lawyer review
05The improvement process
How we get from where we are to where we need to be.
The internal quality loop is running. The next phase is external calibration — a structured review by an independent lawyer, the results of which are internalised into the system.
Phase 1 — Now · Internal AI loop
AI reviews
its own output
Four AI reviewers, each with a different brief, identify issues and improvements. Output tightens with each loop. The ceiling: AI cannot find the issues it doesn't know to look for.
Phase 2 — External lawyer review
~50 sample wills
reviewed externally
An independent TEP solicitor reviews approximately 50 generated wills. Findings are documented in full — what was wrong, why, and what standard was not met. This surfaces the unknown unknowns.
Phase 3 — Internalise & re-run
Feedback built
into the system
The solicitor's findings are embedded into the reviewer briefs and drafting prompt. The internal loop runs again. This repeats until the output is stable across the sample set. Multiple cycles expected.
Phase 4 — Multi-agent + periodic audit
Specialist pipeline,
ongoing spot-checks
Dedicated AI reviewers for each failure mode replace the general loop. External review shifts to a periodic sample audit — not calibration, but quality monitoring to catch drift as law changes.
The external review in detail
Who conducts it: an independent TEP solicitor (specialist in wills and estates), not affiliated with legalhelp.
Sample size: approximately 50 generated wills across the main user types — simple estate, specific gifts, minor children, cohabiting, separated.
Output: structured findings per will — clause-level issues, missing provisions, professional standard gaps. Not a pass/fail, a detailed critique.
Goal: not to validate the system as finished, but to surface what the internal AI loop cannot see in its own output. The findings drive the next round of prompt improvements.
Audit trail — for insurance purposes
Every review session is documented: the sample wills reviewed, the solicitor's findings verbatim, the specific prompt and brief changes made in response.
System versioning: the state of the system before and after each review cycle is recorded. This creates a traceable lineage — any output can be mapped to the system version that produced it.
Insurance and due diligence: the audit record demonstrates the process by which quality conclusions were reached. If a claim arises, the trail shows what was reviewed, when, by whom, and what changed.
This is not a one-time exercise. Law changes, STEP guidance updates. The review cycle repeats periodically to catch drift — but the goal is to reduce its frequency as the multi-agent pipeline matures.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Improvement process
05Standing behind the outcome
The output can be insured.
The audit trail makes the product's accuracy demonstrable. Beyond that, a specialist market now exists to put an insurer's balance sheet behind AI-generated outcomes — a route to both consumer protection and brand defensibility.
The insurable foundation — our audit trail
What we already keep
Every quality cycle is documented: the wills reviewed, the findings verbatim, the prompt and brief changes made, and the system version before and after. Any output maps to the system version that produced it.
Why it matters
This is the evidence base an insurer underwrites against. It demonstrates the process by which quality conclusions were reached — the due diligence that makes the outcome insurable in the first place.
The market — AI performance guarantees
How it works
A vendor promises a specific outcome or KPI. If the AI fails to hit the contractual threshold — through underperformance, model drift, or data issues — the policy pays the customer a financial remedy.
Why it's valuable
It shifts the financial risk of a failed deployment off the customer. Instead of asking people to trust the model, you show them a certificate backing the claim — an insurer's balance sheet standing behind it.
Who offers it
Armilla AI — a Lloyd's of London coverholder backed by Swiss Re, Greenlight Re and Chaucer ("Armilla Guaranteed"). Other Lloyd's syndicates structure bespoke parametric / warranty cover.
Why this is on the roadmap
For a will — a product whose real test may be decades away at probate — an outcome guarantee is a powerful trust signal and a way to make any named brand association defensible. An avenue to pursue, not yet in place.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Standing behind the outcome
06Where the product is
Current state and the quality bar.
The product is working at prototype stage. The quality process is running. Here is an honest picture of where it is and what it needs to meet.
What the product needs to do
Produce a legally valid will
A user who completes the flow and correctly signs the output should have a will that is legally operative under the Wills Act 1837 and reflects their wishes accurately.
Be honest about its limits
When a situation is too complex for the product — business interests, large taxable estates, trust requirements — the system routes the user to a solicitor. It does not produce an inadequate will and call it a good one.
Carry a credible professional review
The cover sheet references a named, SRA-registered solicitor who has reviewed the output. This is not primarily a legal requirement — it is the trust signal that makes the product defensible at the quality level we are aiming for.
Current state
What is done
The 18-question flow is built and refined. Legal errors identified by AI analysis have been fixed. The quality loop has run twice. The sample output is correct. The product generates a complete four-document pack.
What is open
The end-to-end test run (full flow with real data, output read in full) has not yet happened. The external lawyer review has not yet happened. Both are required before the product goes to users.
The next gate
A qualified TEP solicitor reads a set of generated wills and provides structured feedback. That feedback is internalised. The process is documented for audit. This is the step that moves the product from internal prototype to externally defensible.
Legalhelp · Internal · June 2026Current state