Financial institutions are the main cause of delay in at least 25% of probate cases, according to two-thirds of the legal professionals recently surveyed for the Bereavement Index published by Today’s Wills & Probate. The delay in receiving financial information concerning the estate of a deceased person from institutions takes at least four weeks according to the majority of practitioners.
While the average probate case takes around three months to complete, delays of up to a year may result from solicitors encountering delays in obtaining the necessary information regarding an estate and its assets, with the report suggesting this applied to one in 14 probate cases. The average delay caused by individuals failing to leave their affairs in order prior to their passing is around two months.
The surveyed legal professionals also expressed their frustrations with the probate process, with 88% labelling it ‘slow and complicated’, and 51% stating that recent probate cases they had been involved in took longer than expected. Three-quarters (75%) believe that the probate process can be improved, indicating that reform of the system is both necessary and likely in the near future.
Bartletts Solicitors is an expert probate law firm, with Louise Nelson having assisted clients with probate matters for 39 years. We offer our clients a winning team with real experience in probate and genuine expertise in this often complex area of law.
