The first thing that most people think about when someone dies without a will is to find the lawyer who wrote a will. But sometimes, the family members know the name of the lawyer but cannot trace them. In other situations, they have no idea who it was. This article outlines what you should do in either case to find a lawyer who wrote a will.
The Purpose of Locating the Lawyer Who Wrote a Will
It is important to ensure that you are working with the right person when it comes to legal matters. Finding out who drafted a will is vital for several reasons. Firstly, the lawyer who originally created the will may very well know what was in it and why. Having access to a lawyer who drafted your will can help resolve any legal issues that may arise after one’s death promptly and efficiently.
Search Personal Records
When trying to find out who drew up your last testament, there are certain steps you can take. First, go through any documents relating to the will, such as copies or letters containing contact details of that attorney. The name of the attorney should appear on this document if it is a copy of a validly executed will. In case there aren’t any records available, consult family members or friends who might point you in right direction concerning this particular attorney’s identity. They might provide necessary tips for further investigations or even lead toward finding another solicitor nearby in case they knew about them before.. Moreover, review financial documentation and other legal papers because sometimes these contain names of lawyers or firms which dealt with matters previously related to yours Finally if everything has been futile consider hiring an investigator privately
Find the Lawyer Who Wrote a Will Through The Bar Association
Contact Previous Law Firms:
Reach out to any law firms or employers where the attorney used to work. They might have information about their current whereabouts, making it a useful step to find the lawyer who wrote a will.
Contact Previous Law Firms
Contact any law firms or employers where the attorney used to work. They may have information regarding where he/she moved to. This can be a useful step to **find a lawyer who wrote a will**.
Check State Bar Association Website
All state bars have websites with resources and contact details.
Use the Directory of Attorneys
Many states provide online directories that allow you to search for lawyers by name, location, and area of specialization. This tool can help you find the lawyer who wrote a will by narrowing down your search.
Contact the State’s Bar Association
If the online directory doesn’t provide enough information, call or email your state’s bar association. Explain your situation, giving any names and law firms they worked in.
Request Help
Ask the local bar association for help in finding your lawyer. They may be able to give you contact details or suggest other ways to locate them.
Search Disciplinary Records
The state bar association can also check if they are still practicing or if they have disciplinary records. This could assist in locating them.
These steps will enable you to utilize state bar associations’ tools.
Search The U.S. Will Registry
You can also try searching The U.S. Will Registry. It contains millions of registered wills that can be searched against each other. Each registration indicates where original and duplicate copies of a will might be found, noting whether it belongs to a lawyer, institution (e.g., bank), friends, or home.
If no registration is found, the registry sends an email blast to all lawyers in their system. The email asks for help finding unaccounted-for registrations. This way, the registry proactively engages lawyers practicing in the area. This increases the chances of finding wills that were not initially registered.
Check the Safe Deposit Box
If you do not know if they ever hired an attorney, check whether the deceased maintained a safe deposit box. People often store important papers such as wills and estate planning documents in safe deposit boxes. If you know which banks they had accounts with, speak with a branch manager about any possible existence of a safe deposit box. You can legally access it and look for a will if it exists there, according to legal steps that must be followed.
Review Bank Statements
Another option is to search your bank statements for any payments made to law firms recently. If there are payments, you might want to contact the firm to see if they were providing estate planning services. They may refuse to say anything unless you were named either as an executor in a will or as a beneficiary of the deceased. When they know about the death, the executor will begin dealing with them. Before these papers go before any lawyer, the will shall be taken to probate court. After being probated, a will becomes a public record and open for examination.
Google Search
Start by getting online and looking up an attorney’s name who prepared a specific will. The first thing to do is find out both their first and last names. Narrow your search by indicating where they come from (e.g., home state/country, zip code) and even the title of the company where they work. If several attorneys have similar names, choose the one associated with the preparation of this particular testament.
Seek Professional Help
Next, ask the Secretary of State in whose office this document was authenticated. Find out if there were other notary publics who witnessed the deceased person signing off.
Sometimes lawyers’ offices have a notary on staff, making it easier. Even if you are a beneficiary and biologically unrelated to the decedent, the notary may help you find out who represented the decedent.
Final Words: Consider All Situations
If you cannot trace the attorney who drafted the will or find a copy of it, there might be other steps to take. Courts may assume there was no Last Will or that it was purposely destroyed by its maker to revoke it. Under these circumstances, your state’s intestate succession laws would control how the deceased’s assets are divided. A statutory scheme specifies which members inherit what fraction when someone dies intestate. Sometimes, courts will accept duplicate wills before issuing probate orders when the original can’t be traced.
