Wills

[Allied]

What happens to a will when you draw it up with a solicitor? I am trying to find out if my Grandfather left a will (years ago) but would not know which solicitor he did it with. Any way I can do a trace?

[dzug]

The solicitor keeps it in his safe storage (occasionally losing it....). There is no central register unless a copy was lodged with the probate office - very few people bother with this.

Your only chance is to contact as many solicitors as you can in the area he lived.

You say 'years ago' - does that mean he died years ago, or just made the will years ago? If the former, and it went to probate, the probate office would be able to supply a copy.

[dot.hawkes]

if your grandfather died before your grandmother then probably there was no will taken to probate if they had a joint will that left the marital home and assets to her.
if he died after her he will have made a new will hopefully to leave an inheritance for his children etc, and this will have gone to the probate office to be proven , the executors will have done all of that. there is an index to wills from 1858 to the present day and the calendars are divided into years, and then alphabetically within the years.
http://www.lawontheweb.co.uk/basics/probateoff ices.htm