Trying to trace 2 SOLICITORS.

[Colin Rowledge]

Have conntacted the Law Society - no response yet and the last known firm they worked for - also no response.

Have found the title to the property and the current owners. Now looking to trace back various possible sales to find out when it was sold and who handled the sales.

Colin

I have a copy of the Will and Letter of Administration, so could the Probate Officer in Winchester help?

Have now received a response from the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Now waiting to see what develops next

Colin

[Colin Rowledge]

Upon reflection, the firm they were associated with [as of 1995] is still operating. Given what may develop next, I don't want to put information into the public domain. If folks have 'a genuine interest' in the results please p/m me

Colin

[Colin Rowledge]

Well, almost a year has elapsed since I last updated this thread.

A lot has happened - not much of it was beneficial.

The last contact from the S.R.A proved inconclusive so more detail was sent, but it fell on 'stoney ground'.

A p/m from a forum member suggested I try to find a local solicitor in Weymouth to assist. Contacted 3 by email and sent follow up letters by regular mail did not even get me the courtesy of a reply.

One solicitor who acted died in 2004. The other ceased to operate [as advised by the S.R.A. who had no idea where he was living]. He went bankrupt and compensation was made to his creditors in June 2010.

Given that both wills are from 1977 and 1983 respectively, I believe that any monies due are 'long-lost', but if there are any other avenues I can follow, I'd like to attempt to resolve this matter and bring closure.


I believe I owe this to my Dad.

Colin

[arthurk]

You might try Bona Vacantia, a division of the Treasury. Their website tells you more, but basically they look after unclaimed estates, and if they're unclaimed for long enough, the assets go to the government.

There's a TV series called 'Heir Hunters' on at the moment which deals with the work of various companies trying to trace missing heirs and foil the treasury's grasping hands - I don't know if it ever gets shown in Canada. Programmes include genealogical research (usually much abbreviated) and family backgrounds, which are quite interesting, but they can be a bit repetitive and over-dramatic at times. According to recent programmes, assets can be claimed for up to 30 years after someone dies, but I don't know if this is a fixed term or whether they'd apply a shorter limit if the estate was only small.

Arthur

[Colin Rowledge]

As you can see, I've not given up on my quest!!!

Colin

[arthurk]

You might want to unthank me for that last comment, because I evidently wrote it in a state of confusion. Bona Vacantia deals with cases where there isn't a will, which doesn't apply here.

I can't think of any reason why the house wouldn't have been included in the sister's estate, and in due course sold by the executors. If the Land Registry can't provide information on the sale (which surprises me a little) maybe an enquiry to the current owners might be fruitful. Alternatively, I wonder if there's any possibility that the solicitors' records have ended up in the county record office - some do, and they sometimes include information about clients' affairs. Being fairly recent, though, anything surviving might not be publicly available yet.

Arthur

[Colin Rowledge]

Since originally posting this 16+ months ago, I have followed up every conceivable line of enquiry. One solicitor died and the other went bankrupt. The firm they joined in 1993-1995 won't respond to me.

A 'local' chap is helping me with newspaper entries to try and find out why the original firm closed.

Now trying to trace purchase details of the house they were in [as of 1976], how it was registered after my man's death in 1977 and how the title was registered when his siter died in 1983 and then the ultimate sale.

Given all the time that has elapsed, I feel that I am , and that this whole exercise is just a waste of time and that my late dad was d.

Do others agree?

[jac65]

Hi Colin

Who according to the original will was to be the eventual benificiary after the sisters death? Unless the will specified that the house be sold I would have thought that the benificiary of the will would decide what to do with the house once the sister died.

Andy

[Colin Rowledge]

Hi Colin

Who according to the original will was to be the eventual benificiary after the sisters death? Unless the will specified that the house be sold I would have thought that the benificiary of the will would decide what to do with the house once the sister died.

Andy

Hi Andy.
The original will of her brother [who died in 1977] stipulated that his sole remaining sister should continue to live in the residence until her death or incapacity to remain there-in [or words to that effect] and to maintain same at her own expense.

There was nothing in the original will of the sister [who died in 1983] regarding the sale or disposition of the residence.

So back to my original questions - how was the residence registered during this period of occupancy of both and who arranged the eventual sale and when and finally what happened to the proceeds?

[jac65]

Hi Colin

There was nothing in the original will of the sister [who died in 1983] regarding the sale or disposition of the residence

I wouldn't expect there to be as it wasn't part of her estate.

Assuming at this stage your grandfather solely owned the house then his will is the critical one.

The will should have named his Executors, has he named the solicitors as his executors?

The will should also state to whom the residue of the estate should go to after the distribution of specific bequests, if any.

The house is simply part of the estate but his sister can stay there until she dies. My understanding is that only then can the estate be wound up. Whether the house was then sold or not depends upon the benificiaries who are to receive the residue of the estate.

I don't know whether there was a requirement to change the ownership of the house from your grandfather to the Estate of your grandfather or not but once his sister died it would either be changed to the name of the benificiary of your grandfathers will, or, if it was sold in order to distribute the proceeds, then to the name of the new owner. Either way it would be the executors responsibilty to arrange.

Are you suggesting that your father was named as one of the ultimate benificiaries of your grandfathers will be didn't receive his share?

Andy