Q: How do I find out the name of the attorney who prepared my mother's will for her, so that I can retrieve a copy?
She'd showed it to me and told me where it was located in her home, along with her safe deposit box key. Now that she has passed away though, my stepfather has not filed it with the probate court, or given me a copy or discussed it with me. I am concerned...
A:
There is no easy way to do this. You would need to ask someone who knows which attorney your mother used. That attorney may or may not still be alive and practicing law. That attorney may or may not have a copy of the will he/she drafted. If he/she does, it most likely will not be a signed copy. Finally, you will have to somehow persuade the attorney to breach client confidentiality and disclose whatever copy they have to you.
Your mother showed you where she keeps her safe deposit box and key so you would know where the signed will is in the event of her death. Retrieving the actual will from that box will be infinitely easier than trying to get a copy from an attorney whose identity you don’t know.
Brent T. Geers agrees with this answer
A: Short of calling every local law firm that does estate planning in her area, even if you find the attorney, they may not even have a signed copy of the will. A better use of your time would be to determine how assets would be disbursed as if she had passed intestate. Sometimes, the results of probating an estate intestate may lead to same results. I hope this helps. If you need further information, visit www.provenresource.com
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