Southeast Legacies is an award-winning local family run company covering London and the Southeast, specialising in probate administration, Will writing, Lasting Powers of Attorney and later life planning, including trusts.
Southeast Legacies’ mission is to change the misconception that estate planning is for “old people” or is only for those with lots of money. The team believe in protecting loved ones, regardless of age or circumstances.
Anthony Rockliffe TEP, Director, Southeast Legacies is one of two brothers who runs the firm along with their team. Anthony explains:
“Historically, the private client space has tended to be transactional in nature, however this needs to change. In a former life, I was an heir hunter and regularly found families where there was either no Will or I worked to track down relatives where the Will was at least 20 years old. One Will dated back to 1958! At Southeast Legacies we know we can do better and as an industry, we owe it to clients to keep in regular contact and ensure their needs are met. We also believe that the onus should be on us, rather than the client, to keep details updated.
“To help us, we started using Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management service when we acquired two Will Banks. There was about 5,000 records which needed a manual sweep and extraction, and we hired staff to get the data in to an appropriate form to send digitally to Estatesearch for screening and cleansing. We worked in tranches to make the task manageable.
“Following Estatesearch’s screen and cleanse of the Will banks, we found that around one third of the records were irrelevant. This meant that people had passed away or had moved on and updated their Will elsewhere. However, for the remaining records, we were able to reach out with appropriate, tailored communication to see if they needed any assistance, or invite them to review their Will and ensure their last wishes were up to date.
“Getting in-touch with just one family resulted in three pieces of work. It turned out the client had moved house and sold another property to fund the move. This meant their Will needed complete revision due to the new property ownership. Further, the property they didn’t own any longer was connected to a trust which needed up dating. One of the client’s parents had also deteriorated and this resulted in a wider piece of work around planning needs and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
“We now use Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management service for any orphaned Will banks we purchase, and also for our own records. Following Estatesearch’s screen and cleanse, the ongoing notification phase is particularly helpful as every month Estatesearch notifies us if anyone has passed away or moved house. We then reach out with sensitive and tailored communication in a timely manner to see if clients or their families need assistance. For many, just knowing we are there is comforting. For others we have worked with for a long time, it’s like they are part of our family. Sometimes we send flowers if a family member has passed away and we have been invited to several funerals.
“In the financial services industry, Consumer Duty dictates regular touch points. It seems strange to have this regulation in place for pensions and investments, yet Wills, containing everything someone has worked for throughout their lives, can remain un-touched for decades or more.
“At first, I was reticent to tell other firms about how we use Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management service because of the competitive advantage it offers us to generate regular work. However, walking down the street seeing that behind every door is someone who needs a Will, I know there is more than enough work to go around. I’m now keen to show the industry how we provide a better service to clients.
“At Southeast Legacies we aim to offer our clients value from the moment that they walk through our doors to the last time we meet. We use all the technology and tools at our disposal to ensure better communication and outcomes for our clients and Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management service helps us achieve this.”
For further information about Southeast Legacies please see: Southeast Legacies – Wills, Probate, LPAs
For further information about Estatesearch please see: https://www.estatesearch.co.uk/
This article was submitted to be published by Estatesearch as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.
