Advice needed - solicitor seems to have ceased trading

Overwatch

Hi everyone, I hope you can help.

A close relative's estate is being handled by a firm of local solicitors. For the past couple of weeks they have not been responding to letters or emails. Since last week their website has vanished and phonecalls to their offices get a curt 'leave your name and someone will get back to you' recorded message (and nobody calls back).

My query is this: in the event that they have ceased trading, what will happen regarding the settlement of the will? Some money was still being held by them due to an outstanding inheritance tax query - but if they've gone bust, is that money recoverable?

Thanks!

Yorkshireman99

Overwatch wrote: »

Hi everyone, I hope you can help.

A close relative's estate is being handled by a firm of local solicitors. For the past couple of weeks they have not been responding to letters or emails. Since last week their website has vanished and phonecalls to their offices get a curt 'leave your name and someone will get back to you' recorded message (and nobody calls back).

My query is this: in the event that they have ceased trading, what will happen regarding the settlement of the will? Some money was still being held by them due to an outstanding inheritance tax query - but if they've gone bust, is that money recoverable?

Thanks!

The Solicitors regulatory Authority are the ones to contact. The money should be safe.

Keep_pedalling

Any client money they hold should be in their client account, so cannot be used to pay creditors should the business have gone bust.

Owain_Moneysaver

The SRA Intervention Agent will take all the client files and funds and you must contact them urgently. In urgent cases the intervention agent will act for you. Contact the SRA:

http://www.sra.org.uk/faqs/contact-centre/public/06-interventions/urgent-case.page

or 0370 606 2555 from 8 am

to get details of the intervention agent handling your solicitor's practice.