A range of tailored services to support law firms, solicitors and other professional clients, helping you navigate even the most complex estate matters with confidence.
SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
Experts in probate research
A PARTNER TO LAW FIRMS
Flexible, reliable support
CONFIDENTIAL & TRUSTED
Discretion at every step
LONDON BASED
National reach
Our Services
How we can help
Missing Beneficiaries
Locating and identifying all beneficiaries, including those who may be overseas or hard to trace.
For the Executor or Administrator, identifying and locating all the beneficiaries can be straightforward in many cases. However, family estrangement or emigration, for example, can sometimes mean that contact is lost between beneficiaries, potentially causing delays to the distribution of estate funds.
At Sherwood Taylor, we have extensive experience in locating missing beneficiaries, both in the UK and internationally. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Missing or unknown beneficiaries in intestacies
- Next of Kin for Statutory Wills
- Legatees
- Trustees
- Administrators
- Shareholders
- Property Freeholders
We are experts in working with limited information, so whether you have a last known address, date of birth, or simply just a name in a Will, please contact us for a free consultation.
Please note that we do not trace debtors, nor any individual where the reason for our contact would be to their detriment.
Document Retrieval
We help retrieve key documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates, and international records.
A missing document will slow down almost any process, whether you are halfway through the estate administration or preparing to submit an application to the Court of Protection.
We can help expedite matters for you and prevent unnecessary delays by obtaining:
- Birth, marriage and death certificates
- Adoption certificates
- Decree Absolutes
- Issued Grants of Probate or Grants of Letters of Administration
- Historic Naturalisation Documents/Certificates
- UK-wide archival records
Alongside UK records, we can secure a range of international documents. Please note, however, that this depends on specific access and data restrictions in the desired jurisdiction. We will always discuss with you the feasibility of obtaining these documents prior to instruction.
Court of Protection
We undertake genealogical research to identify next of kin where an application to the Court of Protection is required.
Where an individual (often referred to as ‘P’) has lost testamentary capacity to amend their existing Will or to create a new one, a Statutory Will may be needed to protect their interests. In such instances, the Court of Protection requires the appointed Deputy/Deputies to ascertain P’s next of kin.
Sherwood Taylor works closely with Panel and Professional Deputies across England and Wales to undertake the required genealogical research. Our research is conducted in accordance with the degrees of entitlement under the Intestacy Rules, unless directed otherwise.
We understand that this is a sensitive matter, and to ensure complete professional discretion, we will always discuss the scope of our research with you before proceeding, including any contact with the potential beneficiaries.
Once our research is complete, you will be provided with a professional genealogical report, all supporting documentation, and copies of the family tree(s) suitable for submission to the Court.
Family Tree Verification
We review and verify family trees, conducting our own research to confirm accuracy and identify any gaps.
During the estate administration process, you may have been provided with a copy of the family tree by your client(s). While this may seem complete, can you be certain that this represents the extent of those individuals entitled to receive a share of the estate?
By instructing Sherwood Taylor, you can rest assured that we will provide a professional appraisal of the family tree, conducting our own research to corroborate the information and fill in the genealogical gaps (if any).
We will provide you with:
- A full genealogical report
- Copies of the family tree(s)
- All supporting documentation
Where necessary, we can also facilitate missing beneficiary indemnity insurance or any other Policy deemed necessary to protect the estate.
Intestacy
Providing genealogical research for UK and international intestacy cases, helping to identify all those entitled to receive a share of the estate.
The Intestacy Rules in England and Wales set out a strict order of entitlement to the Deceased’s estate when no valid Will has been left. If there are no known beneficiaries, you may be considering referring the case to the Government Legal Department’s Bona Vacantia List.
However, it is rare for an individual to have died without leaving ANY surviving next of kin. We can provide you with a definitive answer.
Whether your client was born in the UK or overseas*, we will conduct an exhaustive investigation to determine their surviving next of kin, mitigating the risk of estate funds being transferred erroneously to the government.
You will receive regular updates, and once our research is complete, we will provide you with:
- A full genealogical report
- Copies of the family tree(s)
- All supporting documentation.
For added peace of mind, where applicable, we work with trusted insurance brokers to help facilitate missing beneficiary indemnity insurance or any other Policy deemed necessary to protect the estate.
*If your client was born overseas, access to the relevant civil records depends primarily on data restrictions in that jurisdiction, the extent of documentary preservation, and the organisation of the local government or archive. We will always discuss with you the feasibility of obtaining these documents and will provide guidance on alternative supporting records where necessary.
Get In Touch
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Speak to our expert team today to discuss your requirements.