Will Storage

[ladywoman]

Hi everyone. Please does anyone know what happens to a Will made some time ago and the solicitors where it was held isnt there anymore. Can the Will be traced? We are not even sure of the name of the firm in question so do we have any chance of tracing it? Any help would be appreciated

[barry1010]

Has the person who made the Will died?

[ubasses]

As it was kept by solicitors you may have luck by using Will Registry

[Buenchico]

The Law Society's 'Will Search Combined' (which costs £114) might be able to locate the will for you:
https://www.nationalwillregister.co.uk/search-for-a-will/

[gness]

Ladywoman. A relative made a will. When she died her family discovered the solicitors had closed. The simply phoned all the other local solicitors in her area and found the one holding the will.
Had that failed they would have contacted the Solicitor's Regulation Authority.

[ladywoman]

Thank you so much for all your help. The person in question is still alive but has moved right away from where they originally lived. They also have dementia so cant help with any info.

[davebro]

Presumably they kept a copy of the will (I did). Could that be accepted if the original remains unfound?

[davebro]

https://www.wagnerinjury.com/2019/03/05/is-a-copy-of-a-will-valid-for-probate-if-the-original-cannot-be-found/#:~:text=The%20following%20proof%20is%20required,of%20the%20will%20are%20valid

apparently so.

[gness]

Just had a chat with the son of the lady in my post, ladywoman. I was mistaken. They found the will before she died, not after as I thought, but she was going into a home...dementia.
They had POA and were able to phone around the solicitors using that to find the will she'd made but was now unaware of.
In my husbands case when his solicitor closed they wrote to him for permission to have his will stored at another firm. I guess it's too late for anyone to know if that happened in your case.
Good luck.

[davebro]

bit more involved in the UK

https://www.tmsolicitors.co.uk/probate-problems/is-a-photocopy-of-a-will-still-valid/#:~:text=In%20the%20UK%20there%20is,the%20Central%20London%20Probate%20Registry.

[gness]

If that is for me, Davebro thanks but this was in the UK.

[ladywoman]

We are not aware that any copies exist unfortunately

[gness]

Chances are she made the will close to where she lived. No harm in a few phone calls explaining about the dementia. People can be sympathetic and helpful.

[ladywoman]

Also what compounds the issue is the fact that he moved around quite a bit so we would have no idea where he might have lived at the time the Will was made to start enquiring with local law firms. So it sounds as if some sort of Registry is the way to go. If it can't be traced then I just don't where we go from there. Anyway, thank you all again for your advice.

[gness]

Barmaid may be more helpful rather than just our experiences. I'll bump if I spot her and hope you get sorted without too much hassle.

[Peter Pedant]

1. Make a will
2. keep a copy or - - - The (top copy) -- keep that
3. Don't name a solicitor as an executor

apparently this is rocket science

[Peter Pedant]

Yes - so true - so true
Barmaid is the Queen of Wills
dont ask me why
do ask me why - she is an equity QC ( clearer?)

all the correct answers are here
it is just distinguishing them from the usual AB crap - which "isssueth forth from the usual suspects' mouths greater than Noe's flude"

ceased ( dead) solicitors papers must go somewhere
and there should be a record of where OR what the live ones have become - - - Sue Grabbit and Run becomes Lovely Kuddly Bunnies' Luvvuz.

did anyone ever say
1. Make a will
2. keep a copy or - - - The (top copy) -- keep that
3. Don't name a solicitor as an executor

[ladywoman]

Thanks Peter pedant. I know it's not rocket science for us but we're talking about someone in their seventies with dementia! Thanks for your comment though.

[ladywoman]

Thanks for your help, gness. It's much appreciated

[gness]

Can you help, Barmaid?