The Chinese courts are overwhelmed with probate cases and the problem is taking on a worrying dimension. Poorly drafted wills, which often present ambiguity of interpretation, bequeath long and costly lawsuits, which are consuming precisely those assets that they wanted to preserve.
The best solution, of course, would be to put yourself in the hands of a good law firm, but not everyone can afford the services of a good lawyer. In response to a problem that is becoming more and more important, a non-profit organization, the China Will Bank, was born in Beijing, which assists the customer in drafting the document and then registers and keeps it.
The Bank of Wills, which currently has two branches but is in the process of expanding to four, provides free assistance to people over the age of 60. Before making an appointment with one of the officials – but it is not that simple, the waiting lists have tens of thousands of members – those who want to use the services are invited to view the numerous will models present on the organization's platform to identify the type of document that best suits your needs.
Once the customer has a draft ready, he goes, often together with the heirs, to one of the offices of China Will Bank, where an official will help him draft the document correctly and check the documentation produced. Beijing, explains Chen Kai, director of the China Will Bank, has three million residents over the age of 2020, who will become four in 25, XNUMX% of the entire resident population.
"If only 10% of the elderly in Beijing wanted to use our services" observes Chen "the number would far exceed the reception capacity of our offices". "It is for this reason" she adds "that we have decided to open two more offices in the city, and we believe that the experiment will not be limited to Beijing alone".
