• March 29, 2024
 A British Wills & Probate Award Winner in Focus: Estatesearch

A British Wills & Probate Award Winner in Focus: Estatesearch

The British Wills and Probate Awards have made the important decision to return for a third year.

Our 2020 awards will recognise a sector which has tackled the challenges presented by Covid-19 head on. Alongside headline sponsor Arken.Legal we look forward to recognising achievement, highlighting progression and championing innovation.

This week we have reached out to Innovation of the Year 2019 award winners Estatesearch to discuss how their success has impacted their business and their predictions this year.

What difference has it made to Estatesearch to have won the award?

Having started with our vision of how technology could help drive improvements in estate administration, through collaboratively creating products and services with clients sharing our values our journey has been hugely rewarding.

But recognition from such a knowledgeable and experienced judging panel was hugely motivational for the entire team, knowing that our core values for technology to drive better client service in estate administration is widely shared throughout all levels of the profession.

For our work to be singled out among such incredibly strong competition was also extremely humbling, but more importantly has already led to discussions with other innovative companies about future collaboration.

Clearly Covid 19 has deeply affected the industry. What innovations you were seeing prior to the Coronavirus crisis?

Throughout 2019 we were observing a greater awareness and dissatisfaction among the profession in respect of difficulties often experienced when dealing with financial institutions. A key part of our work has been to try and raise awareness of issues in the private client professional and improve engagement between legal and financial sectors, exploring innovative technology solutions to bring mutual benefit for all.

A leading theme for many has long been realising greater efficiency, increasingly driven by growing competition in the probate and estate administration sector. Over the past 12 months Estatesearch have been integrating additional services into our existing products and platforms to give practitioners simple and efficient access to multiple services. Reducing administrative effort for greater efficiency and thereby also reducing the risk of mis-keying data or omitting/delaying searches.

Rising client expectations have also been driving requirements for solutions to help deliver greater customer satisfaction. A common issue for Professional Executors has seemed to be pressure from beneficiaries to pay legacies as early as possible, an issue exacerbated last year by delays in the probate creating a longer lag time before the Inheritance Act claims period began. In response we observed a dramatic increase in the uptake of Early Distribution insurance to indemnify the Executor and Beneficiary against claims by unknown dependants and for a cost effective premium. Allowing the Professional Executor to offer a safe alternative to waiting 6 to 10 months, and saw feedback from happy beneficiaries. 

What innovations you are seeing in the last month in the market

The last couple of months have presented significant challenges for everyone across the sector, perhaps the most noticeable change has been the huge uptake of video calls and the innovative application in holding meetings, maintaining contact with vulnerable clients, mental capacity assessments, supporting networking, online conferences and seminars, and of course the occasional ‘pub quiz’.

Of course there has also been noticeable innovation in the area of Will execution, the most novel approach I’ve encountered included the use of luckily discovered ladder to witness through a top floor window. Adaptability to be applauded but perhaps, in need of a health and safety review!

The most significant change in working approach we’ve observed has been a significant increase in the undertaking of ‘remote’ estate due diligence. The current restrictions are limiting access to property and personal papers making identifying estate accounts more challenging. Similarly, attending property can place you, your colleagues or your clients at risk and may be inadvisable.

A comprehensive asset and liability search, such as the Estatesearch Financial Profile Service is an effective way to remotely gather financial information in respect of an estate by sourcing data from electronic databases and directly notifying banks, building societies, share registrars, pension providers and insurers all helping minimise reliance on paper records.

Current restrictions are also having a significant impact on conveyancing and the property market. However, firms are adapting and increasingly looking at desktop valuations or alternatives sales strategies such as online auctions. Insurance services are also increasingly being used in innovative ways to help achieve good client outcomes.

I’ve already mentioned Early Distribution insurance which in a recent matter we handled was used to help the beneficiaries of an estate, who had recently encountered financial difficulties as a result of the current pandemic, realise their legacy sooner.

Early Distribution policies can also be extended to cover additional risks such as Testamentary Capacity Challenges and Proprietary Estoppel, which may deserve consideration by professionals and the clients their advising given the anticipated increase in contentious issues and challenges as a result of the current adaptations required to execute a Will.

While current events are undoubtedly impacting every one of us, the opportunities that current events are creating for the legal sector to innovate and adapt shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s my hope that practitioners and firms willing to explore, and embrace, alternative approaches should realise longer term benefits.

There’s still time to enter!

Entries to The British Wills & Probate Awards 2020 have been extended to 5th June.

Enter up to 3x categories for £145 +VAT. CLICK HERE to enter today

Join the Conversation #BWAPAwards2020

David Opie

Director of Marketing & Strategy at Practical Vision Limited inc. Solve Legal Marketing, Lawyer Checker & The Move Exchange.