Lawyer Has Lost Our Wills

lynbrown | 09:48 Thu 17th Sep 2015 | Law

11 Answers

We made wills in 1995 with our lawyer, luckily we have kept the covering letter from him saying we had made wills. He has since moved on but the law firm he worked for at the time now says they have no wills for us. They say they have searched everywhere. Our lawyer did not take the wills with him, they must therefore be somewhere in the firms archives. What should we do?

Capital Gains Tax.

Mr Loophole

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jomifl

Make new wills and get them done for nowt.

lynbrown

Question Author

Fair enough, but I have lost confidence in them. Its a poor show when a lawyer loses your will! What if I were my next of kin, trying to settle my affairs after my death?

bhg481

Don't you have copies of them? They won't be legal documents, of course, but they could be used to re-create the originals on and get them signed and witnessed again. As jomifl says, get the lawyers to do them again for you free and then keep them yourselves if you don't trust them.

SlackAlice

I'd do as jomifl states, but I would not leave the wills with them.

cassa333

As already said get new will written and buy a mini fireproof safe and put it at the bottom of the wardrobe.

sandyRoe

You can store documents in your bank for a fairly modest fee. Get the originals of the new wills, not copies, and keep them in the bank.

bednobs

why don't you have copies? If you are worried about what happens after death, you need to let the executors know where they are so they don't have to go trawling round

bednobs

Ps does your letter also say he is keeping them there? If not, it's not obligatory for the solicitor to keep a copy

lynbrown

Question Author

Thanks all. My husband found his copy but I cannot find a copy of my own. I think we shall return to the lawyer, get originals made and take them home!

Peter Pedant

blimey I have never thought it a good idea to have the will outside of the house

yeah I agree it would be difficult if the house burnt down

dzug2

If your wills haven't been revised in 20 years it's a good idea to at least consider new ones - preferably starting from scratch

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