2 Mar 2016
Missing Links
Sometimes we’re presented with a case where a missing legatee has upped and left without a trace, and there’s no one left who can tell us where they went. In a couple of recent cases, to ensure our clients can close their file, and the entitled person doesn’t miss out on their legacy, we’ve had to go somewhat off-piste in our efforts to locate them. Happily, in both cases, our lateral thinking paid off.
One legatee named in a Will was listed at a care of address, and it was one she no longer had any ties with. After some research we realised that this old address was a rectory, and that while the Parish Priest at the time had also moved on, he was a little easier to locate than the stray member of his flock. He was able to recall some useful information about our legatee and this additional insight allowed us to track her down to a new address and ensure that she got her rightful share of her old friend’s estate.
Another case, where we were helping our clients to locate an entitled person willing to help administer the estate through our Rainmaker service, involved a deceased who had no close family and whose nearest relatives were the descendants of his uncles and aunts. We managed to identify an heir through the birth, marriage and death indexes. Despite an uncommon name, there was no trace of her marrying or residing in the UK. This time, social media came to our aid, and having found her and made contact via LinkedIn we provided our client with a willing administrator and the legatee with a sizable share of an estate.