By Legal Futures’ Associate Certainty the National Will Register.
In a recent Certainty Will Search find, best practice prevailed to provide the client with protection and peace of mind.
Victoria Wadsworth, Legal Secretary, Wadsworth Solicitors, a highly reputable family-run solicitors and members of Certainty the National Will Register tells us: “When the executor of the estate approached us, they already held the original Will written by the deceased but wanted to conduct a search to ensure that this was the last Will. Although the 2001 Will was prepared by a firm less than a mile away, the executor approached us as we had an existing relationship with them. A Certainty Will Search was conducted as a safeguard; something we always recommend to executors of an estate as added protection for themselves and the estate.”
A Certainty Will Search Combined was conducted to verify if the known Will was the last Will. The 2001 Will was the only registered Will, having been registered by fellow member of Certainty, Sydney Mitchell, who were just 0.1 mile away from Wadsworths.
Victoria continues: “This confirmed that the known Will was in fact the last Will of the deceased. This ensured that we could apply for probate and ensure the £350,000 estate will be distributed to the deceased’s intended beneficiaries knowing that we had taken every step to prove the last Will.”
The Will dated 2001 was written by Legal 500 firm Sydney Mitchell Solicitors and registered to their Shirley office.
Tracy Creed, Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate and Partner, Sydney Mitchell Solicitors, comments: “As we have registered our Will Bank with Certainty the National Will Register, the Will of the deceased was quickly located through a search with Certainty the National Will Register. As the Will was registered, the family knew we were holding the Will and came to collect it from us soon after the testator passed away. Registering our client’s Wills, old and new, not only ensured that the last Will was being used to distribute the estate but it proves that registration of all our Wills ensures that they are located quickly and efficiently.”
For further information on Will registration and the types of searches you can carry out please contact us on 0330 100 3660 or email enquiries@certainty.co.uk.
