My family know where our wills are. In addition there are guardians appointed so they too would know. And I've a copy of the wills in my 'important documents' file.
If a solicitor tells a person they are an exector to a will, do they by law have to do what is requested in the will or can they walk away and do nothing?
But Huskerdu do you not think IF a solicitor does inform an executor of a will they should see that it is carried out (or maybe they do?). I mean they have accepted a fee for drawing up a will.
The drawing up of a Will, and being the Executor named in it, are often two completely different things/people.
If the solicitor drew up the will, but someone else is named in it as its Executor, then the solicitor has nothing more to do with the case. It is then up to the executor to see that the wills instructions are carried out. He can do it all himself, or he can hire his own solicitor (or the solicitor who wrote the will) to assist him in his duties. It is all up to him to decide what to do and how to do it. The solicitor who wrote the will is out of the picture, unless he is specifically invited back into it by the Executor.
If the solicitor was named in the will as its executor, then yes, its up to him/her to see that its contents are carried out. But if all he did was write it up, then he doesn't have anything more to do with it really after he hands it over to the Executor.
Thank you all for your replies, I know I can wave goodbye to my godmother's gift as I know her brother will sell up and fly back to Canada....he ain't the kind for giving or sharing!!!