By Legal Futures’ Associates Certainty National Will Register
When a loved one passes away, it is not uncommon for clients to find themselves in a position where they are either unsure as to whether the deceased had written a Will or if they had, where it is stored. Although a copy of the Will is often provided to a client, the passage of time, house moves and the misplacement of documents can lead to these copies being lost.
As demonstrated in this case, the family of the deceased found themselves in this very position. Gill Botwright, Partner and Head of Wills and Probate at Moss & Coleman explains how a Certainty Will Search was able to assist the family in locating a Will.
Gill comments: “The family of the deceased found themselves in a distressing situation where they could not locate a Will after the deceased passed away. The wife of the deceased knew that she and her husband had made Wills but could not find a copy or remember who had prepared them. Her grandson therefore advised that the family conduct a Certainty Will Search to locate the Will.”
A Will Search Combined was conducted which searches for Wills that have been registered on The National Will Register and for Wills that have not yet been registered. A 1988 Will was located at member firm Moss & Coleman.
Gill continues: “A 1988 Will was located at the firm. The Will had been made with a firm that Moss & Coleman had acquired some time ago. The Certainty Will Search was able to quickly trace the Will for the family when otherwise, it may have been difficult for them to locate it. This is not only due to the age of the Will but because the firm that had written the Will over thirty years earlier had merged with Moss & Coleman. We were able to assist the family during this difficult time and offer legal advice.”
“At the firm, we recognise the significant role that a Certainty Will Search plays in locating the last valid Will. It alleviates the risk and uncertainty of proceeding with distributing an estate without ensuring that you have done everything you can to locate the last Will of the deceased.”
For further information on the type of searches you can carry out, please contact The National Will Register via their website, call 0330 100 3660 or email enquiries@certainty.co.uk.
