Frequently Asked Questions for Solicitors

Whether you are a named executor or are acting on behalf of a personal representative, whether you are faced with an intestacy or need to trace a person or a document, we can assist. For example, we can trace:

• legal beneficiaries in cases of intestacy,
• missing heirs named in a will,
• missing shareholders,
• pension fund holders and their legal beneficiaries,
• relevant grants and civil records.

We can also help you locate other relevant people such as trustees, executors and title holders.

You can find a full list of our services here. Every assignment receives our prompt and diligent attention, and our results are presented clearly and concisely.

The world of probate produces many unusual and sometimes unique situations. Contact us concerning any problem and we will reply quickly with a free assessment.

We also offer a free family tree checking service which will give you an overview of the likely accuracy of the family tree.

Once instructed, we often ‘tidy up’ small, low-value aspects of an estate without charge, and we can assist you in obtaining some of the lesser-known grants, such as ad colligenda bona.

Our research methods are as varied as the cases we work on. Our staff have access to an unrivalled range of resources, including a traditional 8,000 volume in-house library, supplemented by a series of proprietary databases which have been developed and refined over recent years to complement traditional genealogical techniques.

To find out more about how we have solved particular cases, please see our case histories.

Yes. Our research findings are supported by fully-documented family trees and reports, which are presented in an attractive, easy-to-follow format. This makes applications for missing beneficiary indemnity insurance straightforward and easily understandable by all parties. We are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, which means that we can source competitive insurance quotes for you if required.

For more information, please see our insurance page.

We view client confidentiality as paramount, adhere strictly to the EU General Data Protection Regulation and never pass client details to any third party without their express permission. For more information, please see our privacy notice.

There is no sector-wide regulation of Probate Genealogy in the UK. Some firms lack experience and are not as thorough as they should be. Others acquire impressive-looking ‘credentials’ which, under scrutiny, amount to very little.

Anglia Research has the following credentials:

• We employ more accredited genealogists* than any other UK probate research company.
• As a company, we are regulated by The Institute of Paralegals.
• We are registered with, and therefore regulated by, the Financial Conduct Authority.
• We are fully compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and our registration number is Z9338731.
• We carry professional indemnity insurance (full details upon request).
• We have internal service standards monitoring, a comprehensive complaints procedure and a clear and transparent code of conduct.
• Our internal supervisory and compliance structure is similar to that of a law firm. We employ several qualified solicitors in-house and CILEx-qualified staff. Please see our staff page for further details.
• We are retained by public trustee departments for governments throughout the world.

*members of AGRA, ASGRA and AGI. For more details, please see our accreditation page.

We offer a range of charges, designed to meet the needs of clients on a case by case basis. We do not seek to tie you into a particular model just to suit our business: we recognise your duty to your client.

Our fee structure is transparent and, as a matter of principle, we never incur additional charges without clearing this with clients in advance. Generally, we agree a fixed fee, time charged or a contingency basis approach. You can find more information about our fee structure here.