Probate - Solicitor requesting details of non-beneficiaries of will

Diyanta

Appointing a solicitor* to assist with probate and they have provided a form for information gathering, including a request for name/address of ex-spouse, siblings, etc. specifically not beneficiaries of the will.

Why would they need these please?  We'll ask, but it would be useful to get a heads up if the solicitor is being overzealous.

* "legal executive", actually.

Thanks.

BooJewels

Possibly trying to ascertain if there is anyone else who might have a claim on the estate, be dependents or contest it?  I had to provide similar information when claiming a pension lump sum of my late husbands. 

Any reason why you can't do probate yourself?  It largely ends up paying someone else to put information you have to provide them with into a form on your behalf.  You don't need to use professionals for it.

p00hsticks

BooJewels said:

Possibly trying to ascertain if there is anyone else who might have a claim on the estate, be dependents or contest it?  I had to provide similar information when claiming a pension lump sum of my late husbands. 

This ^^

I also had to provide details of various relatives and ex-spouses (along with supporting birth / death / marriage certificates and divorce papers) to a pension provider when they were determining who to pass the money to, so it'll be a stock information gathering step from the solicitors in anticipation of a possible similar request.