Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of Wishes, and
they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who had made the Will
for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to know where my Will
is currently located. The woman I talked to could not understand why I
wanted to know this, she kept asking if I wanted a copy, which I
already have. I want to know the physical location so I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been closed
and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me about
the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to tell me that
my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a Duty of Care to keep
me informed?
It does pose an interesting question: If someone has made a Will and
left it with their solicitors who then subsequently lose the original
signed and witnessed copy left in their safe keeping what happens?
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of Wishes, and
they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who had made the Will
for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to know where my Will
is currently located. The woman I talked to could not understand why I
wanted to know this, she kept asking if I wanted a copy, which I
already have. I want to know the physical location so I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been closed
and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me about
the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to tell me that
my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a Duty of Care to keep
me informed?
Any advice welcome.
On Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:27:28 +0000, Martin Brown wrote:
It does pose an interesting question: If someone has made a Will and
left it with their solicitors who then subsequently lose the
original signed and witnessed copy left in their safe keeping what
happens?
I can't imagine it will be anything too serious.
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of Wishes,
and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who had made
the Will for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are
others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to know
where my Will is currently located. The woman I talked to could not understand why I wanted to know this, she kept asking if I wanted a
copy, which I already have. I want to know the physical location so
I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been
closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me
about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to
tell me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a
Duty of Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have been
stored at a specific office under a specific reference number.
Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a letter with a
deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for a
copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be necessary
to instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather than your
executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will
had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors
can easily obtain the original will by using the details provided to
me some years ago.
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 11:52:48 -0000 (UTC)
Jethro_uk <jethro_uk@hotmailbin.com> wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:27:28 +0000, Martin Brown wrote:
It does pose an interesting question: If someone has made a Will and
left it with their solicitors who then subsequently lose the
original signed and witnessed copy left in their safe keeping what
happens?
I can't imagine it will be anything too serious.
But if there are no known copies, what then? The will-writer might have
had specific requests that are now lost.
On 08/01/2026 12:31, Davey wrote:
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 11:52:48 -0000 (UTC)
Jethro_uk <jethro_uk@hotmailbin.com> wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:27:28 +0000, Martin Brown wrote:
It does pose an interesting question: If someone has made a Will
and left it with their solicitors who then subsequently lose the
original signed and witnessed copy left in their safe keeping what
happens?
I can't imagine it will be anything too serious.
But if there are no known copies, what then? The will-writer might
have had specific requests that are now lost.
I'm not sure of the rules any more but I thought that they were
obliged to keep electronic records archived in some form for a few
decades. Not sure what happens for the tiny local one man and his dog
outfits though.
You run into trouble where they are stored but in now unreadable
ancient tape formats or on 3.5" floppies or early Panasonic writeable
PD drives. That has become a real pain for archivists in the modern
digital era.
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000 The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com>
wrote:
[quoted text muted]I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have notified
all historic users of the branch that it was closing.
On Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:46:43 +0000, Davey wrote:
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000 The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com>
wrote:
[quoted text muted]I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have
notified all historic users of the branch that it was closing.
I bet they could have billed them though.
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have notified
all historic users of the branch that it was closing. I replied that I
was not only a historic user, but a current one, as they had my Will in
their charge.
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:46:43 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid>
wrote:
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have notified
all historic users of the branch that it was closing. I replied that
I was not only a historic user, but a current one, as they had my
Will in their charge.
But in the context of their business you are (were) not a current
user. They could have had thousands of customers whose only contact
with them was making a will, many of whom will be dead or will have
changed address, going back many years.
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of Wishes,
and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who had made the
Will for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are others.
I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to know where my
Will is currently located. The woman I talked to could not
understand why I wanted to know this, she kept asking if I wanted a
copy, which I already have. I want to know the physical location so
I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been
closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me
about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to tell
me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a Duty of
Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have been
stored at a specific office under a specific reference number.
Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a letter with a
deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for a
copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be necessary
to instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather than your
executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will
had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors
can easily obtain the original will by using the details provided to
me some years ago.
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of Wishes,
and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who had made
the Will for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are
others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to know
where my Will is currently located. The woman I talked to could not
understand why I wanted to know this, she kept asking if I wanted a
copy, which I already have. I want to know the physical location so
I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been
closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me
about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to
tell me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a
Duty of Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have been
stored at a specific office under a specific reference number.
Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a letter with a
deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for a
copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be necessary
to instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather than your
executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will
had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors
can easily obtain the original will by using the details provided to
me some years ago.
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have notified
all historic users of the branch that it was closing. I replied that I
was not only a historic user, but a current one, as they had my Will in
their charge.
I await a response. I might take this one to The Law Society, or
whatever it's called now.
"Davey" <davey@example.invalid> wrote in message news:10jo8vj$1fh3t$3@dont-email.me...
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of
Wishes, and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who
had made the Will for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are
others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to
know where my Will is currently located. The woman I talked to
could not understand why I wanted to know this, she kept asking
if I wanted a copy, which I already have. I want to know the
physical location so I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been
closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me
about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to
tell me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a
Duty of Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have been
stored at a specific office under a specific reference number.
Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a letter with a
deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for a
copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be
necessary to instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather
than your executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my
will had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my
executors can easily obtain the original will by using the details
provided to me some years ago.
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have
notified all historic users of the branch that it was closing. I
replied that I was not only a historic user, but a current one, as
they had my Will in their charge.
I await a response. I might take this one to The Law Society, or
whatever it's called now.
The SRA. The Solicitors Regulatory Authority
There is a situation with parallels to your own, in the current
"Guardian"
" I can't access my father's legacy after solicitors closed
down "
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jan/06/i-cant-access-my-fathers-legacy-after-solicitors-closed-down
Although in this case the entire firm was shut down by the SRA, as a
result of fraud.
Although as in many of these stories the answer seem to be to first
write to "The Guardian"
quote:
When I alerted the SRA to your situation, things happened fast. You
were immediately called by the stand-in agent and you received
electronic copies of your files there and then.
:unquote
bb
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of Wishes, and
they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who had made the Will
for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are others. I
'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to know where my Will
is currently located. The woman I talked to could not understand why I
wanted to know this, she kept asking if I wanted a copy, which I
already have. I want to know the physical location so I can tell my
Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been closed
and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me about
the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to tell me that
my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a Duty of Care to keep
me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have been
stored at a specific office under a specific reference number. Perhaps
you will find with your copies of the will a letter with a deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for a copy
of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be necessary to
instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather than your executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the law
firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will had closed. I
feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors can easily
obtain the original will by using the details provided to me some years ago.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the law
firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will had closed. I
feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors can easily
obtain the original will by using the details provided to me some years
ago.
On 08/01/2026 12:01, The Todal wrote:
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will
had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors
can easily obtain the original will by using the details provided to
me some years ago.
My own will is in a prominently marked folder on my desk. My family know that's where it lives. Maybe, you could do something similar and inform
your executors?
On 08/01/2026 12:01, The Todal wrote:
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will
had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors
can easily obtain the original will by using the details provided to
me some years ago.
My own will is in a prominently marked folder on my desk. My family know that's where it lives. Maybe, you could do something similar and inform
your executors?
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 14:14:34 -0000
"billy bookcase" <billy@anon.com> wrote:
"Davey" <davey@example.invalid> wrote in message
news:10jo8vj$1fh3t$3@dont-email.me...
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of
Wishes, and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who
had made the Will for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are
others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to
know where my Will is currently located. The woman I talked to
could not understand why I wanted to know this, she kept asking
if I wanted a copy, which I already have. I want to know the
physical location so I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been
closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me
about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to
tell me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a
Duty of Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have been
stored at a specific office under a specific reference number.
Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a letter with a
deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for a
copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be
necessary to instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather
than your executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my
will had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my
executors can easily obtain the original will by using the details
provided to me some years ago.
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have
notified all historic users of the branch that it was closing. I
replied that I was not only a historic user, but a current one, as
they had my Will in their charge.
I await a response. I might take this one to The Law Society, or
whatever it's called now.
The SRA. The Solicitors Regulatory Authority
There is a situation with parallels to your own, in the current
"Guardian"
" I can't access my father's legacy after solicitors closed
down "
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jan/06/i-cant-access-my-fathers-legacy-after-solicitors-closed-down
Although in this case the entire firm was shut down by the SRA, as a
result of fraud.
Although as in many of these stories the answer seem to be to first
write to "The Guardian"
quote:
When I alerted the SRA to your situation, things happened fast. You
were immediately called by the stand-in agent and you received
electronic copies of your files there and then.
:unquote
bb
When it was The Law Society, on my father's recommendation, I contacted
them to help me get some interest from a solicitor firm who had been
holding my house deposit for some months, but refused to pay interest
on it, as they should have done. My father happened to be a Probate
Lawyer in Lincoln's Inn Fields, so he knew what to do. And it worked. Luckily, this has all been resolved, so I don't need to contact anybody.
On 2026-01-08, The Todal wrote:
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of Wishes, and
they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who had made the Will
for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are others. I
'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to know where my Will
is currently located. The woman I talked to could not understand why I
wanted to know this, she kept asking if I wanted a copy, which I
already have. I want to know the physical location so I can tell my
Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been closed
and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me about
the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to tell me that
my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a Duty of Care to keep
me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have been
stored at a specific office under a specific reference number. Perhaps
you will find with your copies of the will a letter with a deed packet
reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for a copy
of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be necessary to
instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather than your executors
attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the law
firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which notified me
quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will had closed. I
feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors can easily
obtain the original will by using the details provided to me some years ago.
It's crazy that in the 21st century the legal system still expects to
rely on the *single original* paper document for something this
important.
On 08/01/2026 19:08, GB wrote:
On 08/01/2026 12:01, The Todal wrote:
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my will
had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my executors
can easily obtain the original will by using the details provided to
me some years ago.
My own will is in a prominently marked folder on my desk. My family
know that's where it lives. Maybe, you could do something similar and
inform your executors?
One observation - which I am sure does not relate to your situation.
When an eldery relative of a friend died it was known, to some in the family, that he kept a will in his home.
He had pointed out the location to them on a previous visit, and
discussed its contents with them.
When they visited his home after his death, they could find no trace of
the will.
Other relatives insisted he had promised that they should inherit the
whole estate.
As you may imagine, that whole situation did not end well for anyone.
On 09/01/2026 02:11, Sam Plusnet wrote:
On 08/01/2026 19:08, GB wrote:
On 08/01/2026 12:01, The Todal wrote:
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to the
law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago, which
notified me quite some time ago that the branch that prepared my
will had closed. I feel the need to get some reassurance that my
executors can easily obtain the original will by using the details
provided to me some years ago.
My own will is in a prominently marked folder on my desk. My family
know that's where it lives. Maybe, you could do something similar and
inform your executors?
One observation - which I am sure does not relate to your situation.
When an eldery relative of a friend died it was known, to some in the
family, that he kept a will in his home.
He had pointed out the location to them on a previous visit, and
discussed its contents with them.
When they visited his home after his death, they could find no trace
of the will.
Other relatives insisted he had promised that they should inherit the
whole estate.
As you may imagine, that whole situation did not end well for anyone.
I suppose the danger of keeping the original will in your home is that burglars or greedy unscrupulous relatives might steal it and then it
would be assumed that the deceased had died intestate.
On 08/01/2026 18:57, Davey wrote:
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 14:14:34 -0000
"billy bookcase" <billy@anon.com> wrote:
"Davey" <davey@example.invalid> wrote in message
news:10jo8vj$1fh3t$3@dont-email.me...
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of
Wishes, and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who
had made the Will for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are
others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to
know where my Will is currently located. The woman I talked to
could not understand why I wanted to know this, she kept asking
if I wanted a copy, which I already have. I want to know the
physical location so I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been
closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me
about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to
tell me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a
Duty of Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have
been stored at a specific office under a specific reference
number. Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a
letter with a deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for
a copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be
necessary to instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather
than your executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to
the law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago,
which notified me quite some time ago that the branch that
prepared my will had closed. I feel the need to get some
reassurance that my executors can easily obtain the original
will by using the details provided to me some years ago.
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have
notified all historic users of the branch that it was closing. I
replied that I was not only a historic user, but a current one, as
they had my Will in their charge.
I await a response. I might take this one to The Law Society, or
whatever it's called now.
The SRA. The Solicitors Regulatory Authority
There is a situation with parallels to your own, in the current
"Guardian"
" I can't access my father's legacy after solicitors closed
down "
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jan/06/i-cant-access-my-fathers-legacy-after-solicitors-closed-down
Although in this case the entire firm was shut down by the SRA, as
a result of fraud.
Although as in many of these stories the answer seem to be to first
write to "The Guardian"
quote:
When I alerted the SRA to your situation, things happened fast. You
were immediately called by the stand-in agent and you received
electronic copies of your files there and then.
:unquote
bb
When it was The Law Society, on my father's recommendation, I
contacted them to help me get some interest from a solicitor firm
who had been holding my house deposit for some months, but refused
to pay interest on it, as they should have done. My father happened
to be a Probate Lawyer in Lincoln's Inn Fields, so he knew what to
do. And it worked. Luckily, this has all been resolved, so I don't
need to contact anybody.
And now...
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/hand-over-client-account-interest-firms-to-be-told/5125519.article
Up to three-quarters of the interest earned on client accounts would
be remitted to the government to help fund a rCysustainable justice
systemrCO under plans unveiled by the government today.
The Law Society immediately criticised the plan, saying it would put
high street law firms at risk and force legal fees to rise for those
that survive.
Society president Mark Evans said: 'The MoJ has decided to take money
from the interest earned on law firmsrCO client accounts to boost its
own budget. Yet, as its own consultation reveals, it has no clear
idea how this proposal will work in practice and no understanding of
the serious consequences this will have on high street firms and
access to justice throughout England and Wales.
You run into trouble where they are stored but in now unreadable
ancient tape formats or on 3.5" floppies or early Panasonic writeable
PD drives. That has become a real pain for archivists in the modern
digital era.
On Fri, 9 Jan 2026 13:18:47 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 18:57, Davey wrote:
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 14:14:34 -0000
"billy bookcase" <billy@anon.com> wrote:
"Davey" <davey@example.invalid> wrote in message
news:10jo8vj$1fh3t$3@dont-email.me...
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of
Wishes, and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors who
had made the Will for me. My Executors were informed of this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are
others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to
know where my Will is currently located. The woman I talked to
could not understand why I wanted to know this, she kept asking
if I wanted a copy, which I already have. I want to know the
physical location so I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I also
complained that I had not been informed that the branch had been
closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told me
about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a duty to
tell me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely they have a
Duty of Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have
been stored at a specific office under a specific reference
number. Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a
letter with a deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible for
a copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it might be
necessary to instruct probate solicitors to help with this rather
than your executors attempting to do it themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write to
the law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years ago,
which notified me quite some time ago that the branch that
prepared my will had closed. I feel the need to get some
reassurance that my executors can easily obtain the original
will by using the details provided to me some years ago.
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have
notified all historic users of the branch that it was closing. I
replied that I was not only a historic user, but a current one, as
they had my Will in their charge.
I await a response. I might take this one to The Law Society, or
whatever it's called now.
The SRA. The Solicitors Regulatory Authority
There is a situation with parallels to your own, in the current
"Guardian"
" I can't access my father's legacy after solicitors closed
down "
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jan/06/i-cant-access-my-fathers-legacy-after-solicitors-closed-down
Although in this case the entire firm was shut down by the SRA, as
a result of fraud.
Although as in many of these stories the answer seem to be to first
write to "The Guardian"
quote:
When I alerted the SRA to your situation, things happened fast. You
were immediately called by the stand-in agent and you received
electronic copies of your files there and then.
:unquote
bb
When it was The Law Society, on my father's recommendation, I
contacted them to help me get some interest from a solicitor firm
who had been holding my house deposit for some months, but refused
to pay interest on it, as they should have done. My father happened
to be a Probate Lawyer in Lincoln's Inn Fields, so he knew what to
do. And it worked. Luckily, this has all been resolved, so I don't
need to contact anybody.
And now...
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/hand-over-client-account-interest-firms-to-be-told/5125519.article
Up to three-quarters of the interest earned on client accounts would
be remitted to the government to help fund a rCysustainable justice
systemrCO under plans unveiled by the government today.
The Law Society immediately criticised the plan, saying it would put
high street law firms at risk and force legal fees to rise for those
that survive.
Society president Mark Evans said: 'The MoJ has decided to take money
from the interest earned on law firmsrCO client accounts to boost its
own budget. Yet, as its own consultation reveals, it has no clear
idea how this proposal will work in practice and no understanding of
the serious consequences this will have on high street firms and
access to justice throughout England and Wales.
My initial reaction is 'why does the government think it has any
legitimate claim to my money?
On Fri, 9 Jan 2026 15:52:43 +0000, Davey <davey@example.invalid>
wrote:
On Fri, 9 Jan 2026 13:18:47 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 18:57, Davey wrote:
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 14:14:34 -0000
"billy bookcase" <billy@anon.com> wrote:
"Davey" <davey@example.invalid> wrote in message
news:10jo8vj$1fh3t$3@dont-email.me...
On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 12:01:41 +0000
The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:
On 08/01/2026 11:01, Davey wrote:
Several years ago, I made my Will and accompanying List of
Wishes, and they were deposited with the firm of solicitors
who had made the Will for me. My Executors were informed of
this.
Within the last year or so, the branch was closed. There are
others. I 'phoned the nearest, and explained that I wanted to
know where my Will is currently located. The woman I talked
to could not understand why I wanted to know this, she kept
asking if I wanted a copy, which I already have. I want to
know the physical location so I can tell my Executors.
I went onto the website, and filled in an enquiry form. I
also complained that I had not been informed that the branch
had been closed and my Will had been moved.
There is probably not a statutory need for them to have told
me about the closure of the branch, but surely they have a
duty to tell me that my Will is not where I left it? Surely
they have a Duty of Care to keep me informed?
Any advice welcome.
Yes, the law firm should have notified you that the wills have
been stored at a specific office under a specific reference
number. Perhaps you will find with your copies of the will a
letter with a deed packet reference number.
If the original will has been lost it will often be possible
for a copy of the will to be admitted to probate, but it
might be necessary to instruct probate solicitors to help
with this rather than your executors attempting to do it
themselves.
In fact, thanks for your post which has prompted me to write
to the law firm that prepared my own will more than 10 years
ago, which notified me quite some time ago that the branch
that prepared my will had closed. I feel the need to get some
reassurance that my executors can easily obtain the original
will by using the details provided to me some years ago.
I have had a reply, saying that they could not possibly have
notified all historic users of the branch that it was closing.
I replied that I was not only a historic user, but a current
one, as they had my Will in their charge.
I await a response. I might take this one to The Law Society,
or whatever it's called now.
The SRA. The Solicitors Regulatory Authority
There is a situation with parallels to your own, in the current
"Guardian"
" I can't access my father's legacy after solicitors closed
down "
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jan/06/i-cant-access-my-fathers-legacy-after-solicitors-closed-down
Although in this case the entire firm was shut down by the SRA,
as a result of fraud.
Although as in many of these stories the answer seem to be to
first write to "The Guardian"
quote:
When I alerted the SRA to your situation, things happened fast.
You were immediately called by the stand-in agent and you
received electronic copies of your files there and then.
:unquote
bb
When it was The Law Society, on my father's recommendation, I
contacted them to help me get some interest from a solicitor firm
who had been holding my house deposit for some months, but
refused to pay interest on it, as they should have done. My
father happened to be a Probate Lawyer in Lincoln's Inn Fields,
so he knew what to do. And it worked. Luckily, this has all been
resolved, so I don't need to contact anybody.
And now...
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/hand-over-client-account-interest-firms-to-be-told/5125519.article
Up to three-quarters of the interest earned on client accounts
would be remitted to the government to help fund a rCysustainable
justice systemrCO under plans unveiled by the government today.
The Law Society immediately criticised the plan, saying it would
put high street law firms at risk and force legal fees to rise for
those that survive.
Society president Mark Evans said: 'The MoJ has decided to take
money from the interest earned on law firmsrCO client accounts to
boost its own budget. Yet, as its own consultation reveals, it has
no clear idea how this proposal will work in practice and no
understanding of the serious consequences this will have on high
street firms and access to justice throughout England and Wales.
My initial reaction is 'why does the government think it has any
legitimate claim to my money?
You don't think they have a legitimate claim for taking money out of
your pay packet as PAYE? (Or whatever way you pay income tax.)
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