Firstly, as your Local Wills Solicitors in Lancaster, we would recommend that when appointing your Executor, you only appoint those that you are sure you can trust and that you know will carry out your wishes after you are gone. 

 

Legally whilst you are still alive your Will is a private document. Should you chose to entrust your local solicitor to hold your Will on your behalf, then the only person that can gain access to your Will whilst you are alive, is you. Your solicitor will never release your Will without your prior written confirmation. Copies of your Will can be taken at the time of execution of the Will, however these copies cannot be used to access your accounts by your Executors and in order to get access to your account your executors will need your death certificate, Grant of Probate and their own ID to verify who they are. 

We would recommend you store your original Will with the local solicitors firm that have drawn your Will up as they can store the Will in a fire proof Will room and ensure it is kept safe. There is normally no extra charge for this. 

 

Just because you have named someone as your Executor in your Will doesn’t not mean they will have direct access to your accounts. 

 

Upon your death, if Grant of Probate is granted, your Will then becomes a public document, and copies of the same can be requested. This, however, does not mean that unknown people will have access to your account and savings upon your death; only those named as your executor and the solicitor appointed to act can close your account. 

 

If you are looking to draw up a Will, then our Private Client team will be more than happy to assist. They can be contacted on 01772 783314 or by completing our online enquiry form here. 

 

MG Legal offer assistance in other areas of Law such as Family Law, Conveyancing, Personal Injury, and Medical Negligence, with offices located in Lancaster, Longridge and Garstang there is always someone close to help.