By Legal Futures’ Associate Finders International [1]
The UK Government has designated solicitors involved in the execution of Wills as ‘key workers’ to try to meet the surge in demand of people writing their Wills in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
As we have highlighted here [2], the consumer organisation Which has reported a sharp rise in demand for solicitor services with some services even needing to turn clients away.
The demand is made all the more difficult by the social distancing rules which effectively mean that face to face discussions are discouraged and even getting the necessary witnesses to signatures presents a logistical challenge.
Identifying heirs and next of kin
We work extensively with solicitors and private clients to identify and trace heirs to estates, property and assets worldwide. Our business operations remain open and our clients should see continuity in the levels of service and support they receive.
The majority of our team is now working from home to comply with the social distancing guidance. However, they all have complete access to our bespoke computer systems. These systems adhere to data protection legislation and our clients can rest assured that we will continue to safeguard all their information accordingly.
Legal support services
Our legal support services [3] include:
Missing Will Service [4]—if you are dealing with an intestacy but need to check for a Will, or you hold a Will and are unsure if a more recent document was drawn up, we can help with our thorough and inexpensive, insurance-approved Will searches.
Missing Document Service [5]—if there are missing probate documents you need to pursue a claim, Finders International can obtain English and Welsh documents such as certificates of birth, marriage, death and adoption, copies of Wills, grants of probate or grants of letters of administration, copies of decrees absolute and other documents on request.
Will Bank Update [6]–if you hold a bank of Wills at your firm’s offices or in storage or you have acquired a new bank of Wills because of a merger or acquisition, then we can confirm clients at the address, provide a forwarding address or confirm if they have passed away.
Our telephone lines remain open 24-hours a day, seven days a week. To get in contact, please telephone: +44 (0)20 7490 4935; alternatively any general questions can be emailed to us at contact@findersinternational.co.uk [7]