Harper Macleod is one of Scotland’s leading full-service law firms with specialists across all legal disciplines, covering every service clients are likely to need in both their professional and personal life. With a focus on customer-centred care, Harper Macleod’s experienced private client team with a headcount of over 50 people put clients’ needs at the heart of everything they do.
Cinzia Duncan, Senior Associate, Harper Macleod based in the firm’s Glasgow head office explains:
“No problem is too big. We often take on complex cases from other firms and think outside the box to resolve issues. So, when I was first introduced to Estatesearch in May 2023 I quickly realised that their Financial Profile Search could potentially help with an executry where it was proving challenging to identify all of the assets within the estate.”
“In this particular case, the deceased had developed dementia before passing away. Although the family knew their father had intended to leave them money, they had no knowledge of how much or where it was located. We had reached an impasse and the only solution would have been to write to every financial institution to find out if they had a record of the deceased on file. This would have been time-consuming and would have proved a significant expense for the estate with no real guarantee of a positive outcome as a result.
Invaluble
Estatesearch’s Financial Profile search proved invaluable, quickly identifying six bank accounts containing hundreds of thousands of pounds plus an annuity. Uncovering these unknown assets has enabled us to move forwards with the Executry process and will ensure the beneficiaries will now receive what is rightfully theirs.
Ordering with Estatesearch couldn’t have been easier
Ordering the Financial Profile search couldn’t have been easier. Through Estatesearch’s secure, online portal we simply input the deceased’s name, known addresses, date of birth and death, and Estatesearch contacted the financial institutions to establish a match. We received regular updates via email and were notified of a completion date for the report, so we were able to keep the family fully informed.
I have also been able to use Estatesearch’s share services to verify and sell shares in another executry case recently. As there was only a small shareholding, our time to sell the shares would have ultimately outweighed the benefit for the beneficiaries. However, Estatesearch was able to complete the sale quickly, efficiently and cost effectively helping to ensure there was no hold-up in distributing the estate. Estatesearch now provides us with more tools in our armoury to resolve complex cases and we are always happy to recommend their services to other legal colleagues.”
Originally published on Today’s Wills & Probate, 12th December 2023