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My question relates to the UK, though the question could apply to other locales.

Say I lodge a will with a legal representative in one part of the country (or even in another country) and years later in another part of the country or world I pass away; how does / should / will the legal representative know that I am deceased and that the will should be executed?

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  • Usually you tell whoever is assigned to manage your estate where to find the will. Are you asking if you have no person to fill that role? – Ron Beyer Jul 4 '20 at 16:44
  • @RonBeyer I think he's asking how the person managing your estate knows you've died. I'd think this should be a rare occurrence, but it seems possible for someone to die without the person designated to take control of the estate knowing. – Ryan_L Jul 4 '20 at 18:33
  • @Ryan_L Exactly so, thanks for re-framing my question. – Absinthe Jul 4 '20 at 20:16
  • @RonBeyer To phrase it another way, if someone is paid to record a will, by what mechanism are they typically notified of a relevant event? Is the onus on them to make contact with their client from time to time? Or is it up to friends and family of the will maker to make contact? Are there any laws with regards, or is it a contractual matter? You can probably tell I'm a layperson, not a student of the law. I searched online for some time but found very little of relevance. – Absinthe Jul 4 '20 at 20:20
  • In germany, the will is held by a probate court or district court. When a person dies, the court is informed and they'll open the will. If you go to a notary to make a will, the notary will make sure the will gets to the proper court. No idea how the UK does it. – Polygnome Jul 4 '20 at 23:19

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