General Chat

This is a difficult one. Might the answer perhaps be for the person to write the name and phone no.of the solicitor on a card or something and put it in their wallet/handbag.

If the police/doctor/coroner are looking for information that seems a likely place to start.

We,ve actually got our wills, but they need updating and unless we use the solicitor in the village no one would have a clue where we went unless we told someone.

When my BIL died earlier this year we had a good idea who probably had the will. We had to go through mountains of papers as he was heavily involved in all sorts of things. I found his copy of the will in a used envelope addressed to some unknown person. It was very fortunate as we were able to check exactly who the executors were whilst waiting to get to the solicitors office.

Yes nameless one that is exactly what is meant thank you. :-)

I read it as that there was a will but no one knew who had it and if it was held by an unknown solicitor how would that solicitor know that the client had died.

Kath, possibly.

If drawn up by a solicitor then that solicitor often has the original of the will (and might be named as executor) with a copy of it kept by the person and/or others.
So where is the original will if the solicitor only has a copy?

I think that the OP could have been worded differently? (And perhaps written into more than one sentence?)

Totally agree JoyLouise, but a friend of ours had a terrible time trying to access all his deceased relative's various sites etc to cancel subs etc. Even getting on his computer was difficult as it was password protected. Don't really know the answer to this!

Inky, I think the point of the question was that if only the solicitor had a copy of the will, how would he (the solicitor) know if the person had died. Usually a family member would let the solicitor know.

Kath. x

Gawd, Susie, many years ago we were told to change our passwords regularly and I have done this ever since so I guess I'd annoy any solicitor who had a list of my passwords - although, perhaps not, if I had to pay every time! LOL

The only password that escaped updating is that for Iceland where I used to order online for deliveries of groceries in the 1990s and that is only because after I retired I shopped in person.

After lockdown I ordered an online delivery from Iceland and discovered that my password was still valid.

I've changed it since, of course. :-D

It's also a good idea to make a list of your passwords and PINs to various accounts and sites, but needs somewhere very safe to put it - perhaps with your Will at the solicitors.

Is the person dead? If so, has probate been applied for by the solicitor?

I hope you have made wills too, Andy'smum. Saved so many problems.I

My son has my copy of my will.

Lizx

Both OH and I have typed out a detailed list of our assets, where all the relevant papers are, important names and addresses, where to find keys etc. Our sons have a copy each and it gets updated every so often.

Both my parents had 2 copies of their wills. I had the other one as their eldest child and the solicitor also had a copy. They may have asked for and paid for the extra copy. My husband and I only had our copies plus one each in our solicitors but our children know where they are.

It's more important that next of kin or friend if no next of kin knows who the solicitor is who has the will to activate the will with the death cert.

A search of the deceased’s property ,as there is often a copy of a will, comes first.

I think once all avenues have been exhausted then it is treated like intestacy.

If there are know next of kin but a will has been made and a copy is only with a solicitor who will know and how can they find out.