executor and solicitors role

koops

hi......my father died over 4 years ago and i was the sole executor to his modest,simple will.My dads solicitor was used to deal with it and he took 18 months to sort things and his costs were astronomical.I put it all down to experience until recently....i discovered my dads partner and her family were having lengthy phone calls and meetings with him.His costs were never itemised......My questions are,1.should these calls and meetings have been charged to my fathers estate...2.now 3 years on,is it too late to ask questions,and seek a breakdown of costs....thanks,,koops

dzug1

What have you personally lost as a result of this?

If only your dad's partner and family are affected then I'd let things lie - it's their loss caused by their actions.

koops

yes,fair comment,i personally lost nothing,this is why i let things lie,it wasnt my money after all.Problem is,i always felt the solicitor was using my late father as a cash cow,and i was never fully informed of what was going on.Other beneficiaries on the other hand,did lose out

TonyMMM

If you were the sole executor - why did you employ the solicitor, what was their role ?

daska

Who lost out? The person who incurred the bills or another potential beneficiary?

rpc

If you were the sole executor and instructed a solicitor to assist you, I do not see why anyone else should have been dealing with the solicitor but you. It depends on what exactly you instructed the solicitor to do - whether it was to handle the whole process on your behalf or just to do specific tasks related to probate.

You would need to look back at the original agreement with the solicitor and then decide whether meetings with other family members fall within this.