By Legal Futures’ Associates Certainty National Will Register [1]
Professional legal services businesses which handle private client services will know all too well that safe and secure storage is an absolute must for documents such as Wills.
Storing dusty documents is commonplace even in today’s digital era, as some Wills may have been drafted, completed and remain untouched for many years. That is until the unfortunate time comes when someone dies, and people begin checking whether a Will exists, and searching for the latest documentation.
On many occasions, during this stressful time people are unsure where to turn or who to ask.
Recently, member firm Hillyer McKeown Solicitors [2] (HM) was able to help one family in this predicament following a death in the family. As result of a Certainty Will Search being conducted with The National Will Register, the Will was located in safe storage at HM.
As HM works with The National Will Register, locating the legal documents through the Certainty Will Search process was quick and brought peace of mind to the family. In this particular situation, the Executors were located quickly and they were able to begin their duties.
Ruth Heap, Partner at HM has this advice for private client legal firms:
“It cannot be underestimated how important it is to use The National Will Register. Each week we receive notifications that people are searching for a Will.
“Of course, it is also important to register each updated Will as this can avoid family disputes down the line. Sometimes when a client has drafted more than one Will and the family uncovers an old copy, a subsequent search and find on the Register removes any uncertainty about which Will is up to date (and therefore valid).
“Using The National Will Register can quickly solve such potential problems. Who does not want to make it as easy as possible for people to sort out the paperwork when someone passes away? We were also pleased to continue helping this particular family during their time of stress as the initial enquiry led to a further matter.”
For further information on the type of searches you can carry out, please contact The National Will Register via their website [3], call 0330 100 3660 or email enquiries@certainty.co.uk [4].