Fraser and Fraser - Legal Services Brochure

Legal Services

introduction

At Fraser and Fraser, you will find a team of efficient, dedicated and experienced probate researchers who offer the best service for you and your clients worldwide.

We work alongside the legal profession, banks and a number of public sector organisations, with each referral treated on a case-by-case basis. We pride ourselves on our commitment and clarity.

Fraser and Fraser celebrated its 50th anniversary as a partnership in 2019, and in the same year

won the awards for Paralegal Business of the Year at the UK’s National Paralegal Awards. In 2021, the firm went on to win Probate Research Firm of the Year at the British Wills and Probate Awards.

We have also been integral in the formation of the Association of Probate Researchers (APR), an industry body designed to bring regulation to the sector and protect clients from the activities of the misguided and the unscrupulous.

““Thank you ever so much for your prompt and efficient service. I will certainly recommend you to my colleagues.”

JS. Private Client Solicitor | Nottingham

1923

Great aunt Gertrude Christensen established a partnership which revolutionised the way in which genealogy was used in probate.

our history

1969

Nephews Nathan and Simon Fraser built on the foundations laid down by their aunt in 1923 to establish one of the world’s largest firms of probate researchers.

2007

Andrew, Neil, Charles and Philippe Fraser succeeded in the business from their fathers in 2007, bringing the business forward and integrating modern technology and classic research methods.

Since 2015, Andrew and Neil have taken care of the dayto-day running of the firm.

2019

The firm celebrates its 50th anniversary as a partnership.

As one of the world’s largest firms of professional probate researchers, we’ve been finding heirs and supporting the legal profession for over 50 years

Fraser and Fraser has been at the heart of international probate research for over 50 years. Over the past decade, we have solved more than 20,000 cases thanks to our commitment to delivering professional and cost-effective results.

We are a family-run partnership with headquarters in London, England and a number of offices and affiliations worldwide including in the USA, France, Poland, Italy and Scotland.

Whether you’re looking to trace missing beneficiaries named in a Will, need to obtain a Medallion Signature Guarantee or require an international bankruptcy search, we are here to help you.

Our years of experience mean we have a large number of resources at our fingertips, including a huge collection of family trees in addition to our own records of birth, death and marriage indexes. Along with our network of offices around the world, we work with a number of overseas partners which expands our research and knowledge.

Our friendly and experienced team of Travelling Senior Researchers – served in the police force – help to confirm our research with visits to heirs and other family members.

we know that each case you handle is unique

Our experiences have shown us that the basis upon which one case may be charged may not be suitable for another. As a result we offer the flexibility of the following four fee options:

time spent

We can offer research on a time spent basis.

An initial budget is agreed prior to starting the research. Offers an easy way to monitor costs incurred by the estate.

Payment is required irrespective of costs, this can help keep costs down if the research required is less complicated.

beneficiary contingency

Suitable for cases where either there are known heirs already represented or no known heirs where no authorities have been appointed.

The fee paid is through an agreement with the beneficiaries we trace – a share of their entitlement when the estate is distributed.

No formal instruction is required.

Known heirs are protected from having to pay to find unknown beneficiaries.

If we do not find the beneficiaries, there is no fee to be paid.

fixed fee

Fee agreed according to the perceived difficulty of the research required based on the information provided by the client.

Easy to plan and budget the estate costs.

A reporting date can be guaranteed as a larger budget is required.

A personal representative is needed.

No payment required if the research is incomplete at the end of the agreed time frame.

finder’s fee contingency

Instruct us to find missing heirs irrespective of whether or not their place on the family tree is known.

Known heirs are protected from research fees that may not yield results.

This option requires there to be an executor, administrator or trustee.

The fee is paid at the agreed percentage on the share due on all the missing or unknown beneficiaries that we trace.

If we do not find the beneficiaries, there is no fee to be paid.

free family tree check

Fraser and Fraser provides a free professional family tree check. Advising personal representatives of essential work required to ensure all family who would be entitled to a share of an estate have been identified and located.

This helps guard against unknown beneficiaries appearing when least expected and creating additional work and costs. It also provides comfort to personal representatives that all avenues have been covered.

What does the family tree check provide?

A thorough examination of information obtained about the deceased’s family. We will highlight areas which we believe require a more detailed research and also mention areas of research that might identify and locate additional unknown entitled beneficiaries.

dormant and orphan balances

Legal professionals are obliged to take all necessary steps to return money to their clients.

If for any reason solicitors are unable to find a client, then the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requires them to provide evidence to show they have made realistic attempts to trace them.

How Fraser and Fraser can help

The Law Society suggests using a tracing agent to find missing clients. Our services include:

Locating a current UK address

Identifying forwarding addresses

Discovering if a client has died

If we are unable to establish whether a client is deceased or discover a forwarding address, we will explain this in a report that you can incorporate into your own documentation.

We charge a fixed price per missing client search, regardless of the value of the account.

Case Study

All you need to do is supply us with the information you have and our experienced researchers will provide guidance about whether it is correct, what might be missing and if there is the possibility or additional family members who need to be traced.

What we will supply

A free, no obligation quote of costs to carry out the research and to ascertain exactly who is entitled and document their entitlement.

This is our assessment. It does not involve research and is intended only as a guide. It cannot be relied upon for the purposes of distributing an estate.

risk-free administrator search services

Sometimes solicitors encounter cases where the deceased has not made a will and has no obvious relatives.

Before you refer such an estate to the Government Legal Department, it pays to be absolutely sure there are no next-of-kin who have a prior claim to the Crown.

In these instances, our administrator search service offers a solution. We also provide it on the basis that if we can’t find a suitable personal representative, then no fees will apply.

Our aim is to locate a relative who is willing and able to act as a personal representative. In addition, more than 90% of the administrators we locate go on to instruct our clients.

However, if the personal representative we find does not instruct you, we will not charge you a fee.

We recently helped an English solicitor client identify the sole heir to a £325,000 estate. The case involved a reclusive bachelor and our client had been unable to find any next-of-kin.

Once instructed, Fraser and Fraser’s experts quickly drew up a family tree and identified a niece who was living hundreds of miles away. In due course she instructed our client to carry out the estate administration. On this occasion our fee was limited to time spent on administration after a Grant of Letters of Administration was issued.

probate insurance services

Whether you require Missing Beneficiary Insurance or Missing Will Insurance, our close relationship with a number of insurance companies helps us to obtain the best price for you. As a result, we aim to quote insurance fees, less or equal to any rival company.

We are only able to offer insurance policies where we have conducted the research ourselves. Ensuring we are able to produce the professional genealogy report required by insurance companies, offered at a competitive price.

Fraser and Fraser are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for insurance mediation activities, and guarantees our work is carried out in accordance with current legal requirements. Our registered number is: 472919.

Missing Will Insurance

This is particularly valuable if, a valid Will is located after distribution of estate funds under ‘intestacy,’ or if a more recent Will is found.

In order to obtain a Missing Will Insurance quote, all necessary requirements set out by insurance companies need to be met to prove you have made all possible attempts to locate a Will or later Will.

Why do you need it?

Ultimate protection to executors, administrators and beneficiaries against a claim being made on the estate by any beneficiaries, of a valid Will; located after the estate has been distributed.

Missing Beneficiary Insurance

This helps to cover all eventualities, such as unknown or untraced heirs coming forward at a later date, including illegitimate descendants or family members who have immigrated to countries with limited records.

Reassurances that you are protected from any unpredictable events. Peace of mind that the estate monies are secure once successfully distributed.

Easy to obtain, quick, reliable insurance policies, helping to speed up the process.

Our working relationship with multiple insurance providers means we can provide an attractive and competitive quote. A fixed fee will be charged for any quotes obtained by Fraser and Fraser.

Why do you need it?

Protects administrators, trustees and executors from post-distribution claims.

Helps to speed up the administration process whilst protecting you and your firm.

Safe in the knowledge you will be offered a preferential premium based on the success of our excellent research performance over the years.

probate services

will search services

Our Will Search has stopped 3% of cases being wrongly administered, after locating a Will on estates believed to be intestate. We are able to help discover whether a valid Will exists before the estate is distributed.

A thorough search for both registered and unregistered Wills in the UK, based on up to three address areas used by the deceased.

We provide the following:

We undertake a full Certainty Will search (which includes REACH, National Wills Register and Missing Notice Board).

We check with the Probate Registry safe custody clerk.

We contact local Will writers (members of the Institute of Professional Will Writers and Society of Will Writers).

bankruptcy search

Fraser and Fraser can undertake international bankruptcy searches on your behalf. You will always receive a report with the findings.

There are four things we need to start the search:

1. Name

2. Date of Birth

3. Address

4. Estate Name

Charges are on a case-by-case basis, so please contact us with your requirements and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours. The cost and search times can depend on the jurisdiction as some countries require a signed authorisation letter from the search subject.

certificate ordering service

A quick and efficient way to obtain the documents and certificates you need when working on a case, avoiding the time-consuming task of searching through public records.

On your behalf we can obtain:

UK birth, marriage and death certificates

Adoption certificates

Registered civil partnerships certificates

Wills and Grants of Representation

Decree absolute

Cost | Current GRO cost for England and Wales certifcate either £11 or £35 depending on service*

Cost | £200 +VAT

Cost | £75 +VAT

case study

Aleksander Olsen was known as a bit of a loner; a man who kept himself to himself and who seemed in no hurry to make many friends in the Californian town where he lived.

Those few people with whom he did pass the time of day knew little or nothing about Aleksander’s family. They could guess from his accent that he had grown up somewhere in northern Europe and they knew from his occasional stories that he had travelled the world, but that was about all the light they could throw on the life of this softly spoken bachelor.

When he died Aleksander left an estate worth more than $120,000 but no Will. It was at this point that international probate researchers Fraser and Fraser were called in to see if they could discover any heirs who might be entitled to a share of the proceeds.

Our international team discovered that Aleksander had been born in 1924 at Nysted on the Danish coast, 150km south of Copenhagen.

The only boy among seven siblings, he was drawn to the sea from an early age, preferring to go exploring on small boats rather than spending time at home with his sisters.

In his mid-teens he took a job as a merchant seaman, sailing on both British and Norwegian ships during the Second World War. It was dangerous work and many Danish sailors never returned home when hostilities ended in 1945.

Among them was Aleksander. His family made enquiries as far as they could, but shipping records for the period were confusing or incomplete and they had to accept

that their son and brother had been lost at sea. Of course, that wasn’t the case, and Aleksander had in fact begun a new life in America.

And, 70 years after he had seemingly vanished without trace, he has a larger extended family back in Denmark. Indeed, Fraser and Fraser’s researchers discovered that not only were two of his sisters still alive, but that he had nine nieces and nephews, with a total of 19 family members entitled to a share of his estate.

This was a complicated case that spanned two continents and a lengthy time period, made more challenging by spelling mistakes on certificates and Danish parish records that switched frustratingly between maiden and married names. The biggest challenge however, was convincing Aleksander’s sisters that their long-lost brother had been alive for all those years without once getting in touch.

Had it not been for Fraser and Fraser’s dedicated team and international expertise, these heirs might never have been found. With offices in seven countries and working relationships with numerous other leading genealogists worldwide, the firm is recognised as a leader in international probate research, in addition to our UK-based work.

Our extensive and varied experience means that irrespective of who you are looking for or where they might be, we can provide a solution.

Names and places have been changed to preserve client confidentiality.

asset management

asset search

A thorough search for lost or unknown assets in Britain. Helps to ensure appropriate steps have been taken to identify all assets associated with an estate.

Complies with the 2009 IHT Penalty Scheme.

Reassurance to avoid penalties of up to 30% of the additional tax due if assets are identified after the IHT return is submitted.

These can include:

Bank and building society accounts

Stocks and shares

Pension schemes

transfer of sell shares

Life policies and investment trusts

Credit checks

Land Registry title details

Cost | £200 +VAT

If you are administering an estate which includes shares or you and/or your clients hold UK and/or international shareholdings, Fraser and Fraser can assist with the transfer and sale.

Cost | £75 +VAT

share valuations

We can provide share valuations to ensure necessary tax forms are complete when dealing with inheritance Tax.

Cost | Valuation of holding:

UK: £5 +VAT (Min fee: £80 +VAT) | Non UK: £10 +VAT (Min fee £80 +VAT)

Confirmation holding (Inc. valuations): UK only: £10 +VAT (Min fee: £80 +VAT)

medallion signature guarantee

Fraser and Fraser is proud to be a certified guarantor of the official Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP). Our transactions stamping limit of US$ 1,000,000 enables us to provide a Medallion Signature Guarantee stamp that is suitable for a wide range of clients and situations. Having provided the Medallion Signature Guarantee stamp for solicitors, estate executors/administrators, individual (and joint) shareholders, companies and financial advisers, we are very familiar with the various forms requiring endorsement.

We provide a bespoke service based on the complexities of your individual case and shall be happy to advise you accordingly when you contact us about your particular need for the Medallion Signature Guarantee.

Cost | from £195 per line of stock

case study

Sometimes it takes years of experience, the right tools and some old-fashioned legwork to track down missing members of fractured families.

Paul Harris died aged 55 in Aldershot, Hampshire, without either a Will or any known relatives and his solicitor contacted Fraser and Fraser in the hope of tracing nextof-kin.

It was clear from the start that this case would not be straightforward. Mr Harris’ death certificate was unusual in that it lacked information about a place or date of birth. Furthermore, even once we had tracked down the actual date, we could find no corresponding entry in the birth indexes.

Something was wrong, but what exactly?

We carried out numerous interviews, speaking to neighbours and friends, hoping to gain some insights into where the truth lay.

Eventually, a former girlfriend of Mr Harris told us that he was illegitimate and that his first name was in fact Peter and not Paul. We also found out that his mother was called Jayne and Harris was the surname of the second husband.

This piece of missing information was just what we needed to find the marriage records for Paul’s mother. He had indeed been born illegitimately, but had initially taken his father’s surname (Gibson). His mother then married his father, divorced him and subsequently remarried. This led to Paul then taking his step-father’s surname, Harris.

This is where the research took an unusual turn. Generally, we would have started compiling an extended

family tree, but it became apparent almost immediately that although Paul’s natural father had passed away, his mother was still alive.

As tactfully as possible, we contacted her and one of our Senior Researchers went to visit, to handle the matter sensitively in person. Mrs Harris was in failing health, coping with long-standing heart issues, while also caring for her second husband.

Firstly, her identity as Paul’s mother was thoroughly checked; she was able to provide more than enough information to remove any doubt. For years her son had drifted in and out of contact and she was not wildly surprised that 18 months had passed since she had last spoken to him.

She took the news of her son’s death better than could have been expected and was relieved that someone had taken the time to find her. Despite being the only heir, she was not capable of acting as administrator – and duly granted one of our partners a limited power of attorney.

This case highlights the importance of having the right experience and tools to track down members of fractured families. At Fraser and Fraser we can assist you in locating next-of-kin and ensuring estates are distributed to the correct people.

Names and places have been changed to preserve client confidentiality.

Whether it’s one property or a complex portfolio, we’re here to help.

We can offer professional assistance with all elements of property management including valuation, insurance, clearance and sale of probate property.

The most valuable asset to many estates, is often the property, making it vital to ensure all probate property matters are covered.

One of our partners, Andrew Fraser, is a chartered surveyor and oversees all our probate property management cases.

probate sales

We are quick and efficient when it comes to managing the sale of a property. We can arrange sale by private treaty or at auction. We choose estate agents and auctioneers carefully and will coordinate the communication between you and the buyer’s solicitor, their agent and financial advisers to minimise the risk of the sale falling through.

Cost | £75 +VAT

probate valuations

You will receive an accurate report on the valuation of the property you are dealing with, providing vital information for the Grant application and in order to sell the property. This involves at least two local agents giving their expert opinion on price and market conditions.

Cost | £195 +VAT

If the property is sold through our parties, the report is free

We can arrange the best insurance for you, as well as replace existing policies invalidated by the property remaining unoccupied. This will protect the property against unforeseeable events.

Cost | £75 per month (inc. Insurance Premium Tax) for properties with a reinstatement value of up to £500,000.

management and security

Need to ensure the property is secure and fit for viewings? Leave it to us – we can arrange clearance and cleaning, organise lock changes and add in required alarm systems to maximise selling potential.

Cost | please contact us for costs

energy performance certificate

As a UK requirement, we can supply reports that provide suggestions on how the property could be altered to improve its energy and carbon emission rating.

Cost | £65 +VAT

property inspections

Our experienced senior researchers conduct thorough property searches in order to locate paperwork which may be of use in the administration of the estate (including financial documents, wills, deeds, utility information etc), along with personal papers or photographs which the family may like to keep.

Cost | £100 +VAT per hour (max daily rate £600 +VAT, plus disbursements)

what are the costs

Here is a comprehensive list of costs and charges for our services

We would always recommend getting in touch with us to discuss your case so that we can tailor our services to best suit you.

what they say

Medallion Signature Guarantee

My need was highly specialised - to obtain something called a Medallion Signature Guarantee Stamp to enable me as an Executor to sort out and sell some shares in the USA. They did a superb job and the service was excellent value for money. Thank you.

Julian Harty - Personal Executor / Beneficairy

Legal Services

Not only were Fraser and Fraser efficient but their prices were more reasonable than other companies I’ve used in the past. I will, from now on, be directing all my probate research to Fraser and Fraser.

Kristen Woods - Solicitor

Estate Administration

Really brilliant service from Fraser and Fraser. As a solicitor that deals with the administration of estates, I’ve been looking for a decent research company to assist me with my intestacy matters. Solicitor

Legal Services

I approached Fraser and Fraser to assist me in the transfer of shares from the Canadian Register to the UK, a complex process requiring a Medallion Signature Guarantee. Fraser and Fraser provided and exceptional service for which I am extremely grateful.

Graham Roberts - Beneficiary