Six years on and still no payout from mum’s will
QMY MOTHER died in 2013 and left a simple will. She had savings of £100,000 and a property worth – then – about £280,000. The total was near £370,000 after allowing something for selling the house.
The final sum was to be divided equally among myself and my three siblings. We thought nothing could be easier – there was no inheritance tax to pay as the amount, once my late father’s allowance was added into it, was substantially below the amount where you have to pay.
Six years later, none of us have got our share. It’s a very complicated story but it involves several solicitor firms, most of which have either gone out of business or are in such a state that their owners no longer seem to care. But although none of us has benefited, lawyers have taken fees, and other costs totalling £20,000.
We have tried complaining to all sorts of legal bodies but all we get back is something like “this is a unique situation and the lawyers involved have acted legally if not ethically”.
Where do we go from here?
AYOU don’t have the money to fund a legal action – your less than satisfactory lawyers know this and act accordingly.
Your best chance is a firm of specialist solicitors willing to take the case on a no-win, no-fee basis.
This whole mess occurred when your mother – rightly – decided she needed a new will after your father died 10 years ago. The old will named family members as executors – the people who put the will into action.
She went to a local lawyer who put himself in the will as an executor. Having a solicitor or bank as executor is generally a bad idea. They can charge fees (often not stated) whereas friends or family member cannot.
Executors can either do the work including grant of probate themselves, or if they lack confidence or the will is complex, there are a number of law firms who will take on the task at a competitive price.
This way, friends or family remain in charge, rather than solicitors or banks who realise you have no way out of their high-cost trap.