Gibson Kerr Helps Track Down Lost Fortunes
Gibson Kerr, which has more than 100 years’ experience in the Capital, has been
working with English inheritance research firm Celtic Research who specialise in
searching for the rightful heirs to fortunes left by people who did not make Wills
before their deaths.
One of their success stories even featured in a recent episode of the hit BBC1
show Heir Hunters. In the programme, Celtic Research sought to resolve an
unclaimed inheritance left by an elderly man in Glasgow. They traced the
deceased next of kin to an address in England, but needed Gibson Kerr's help to
arrange the necessary legal requirements in Scotland to make sure that the
inheritance could be claimed. Fiona Rasmusen, Partner at the firm, said: "We
have worked together with the team from Celtic Research on a number of
previous occasions, so we were delighted to help them for a specific case for the
BBC Heir Hunters programme.
"The case involved an elderly man who had died in Glasgow, but the nearest
next of kin that could be found for his inheritance was a lady who lived in the
south of England. She didn't even know that she had a relative in Scotland who
had died – or that she was legally entitled to the money he had left. "When all of
the necessary research had been done and the Celtic Research team had
determined that she stood to inherit the money, we were contacted and we
helped them obtain the necessary confirmation that they needed from the Sheriff
Court in Glasgow for the case. "Without getting this confirmation, they would not
have been able to get the inheritance and give it to its rightful recipient. "Although
we didn't have any screen time on the programme, our services were vital to
ensure a successful outcome to the case so we are very happy to have been
involved."
Fiona added that while the assignments are not part of their core services –
Gibson Kerr specialises in family and divorce law as well as executry work – they
enjoy being able to help bring new wealth to unsuspecting people. She said: "In
many cases, the recipients have no idea they are in line for a windfall. Many
cases only involve a few thousand pounds – such as the case featured in Heir
Hunters – but on occasions these estates can total more than £1m. The reactions
from people being told about these inheritances are, as you can imagine, very
dramatic. "However, what this does show more than anything is the importance of
writing a Will. If the rightful heirs are not tracked down, then the inheritance is lost
forever. But by taking time to speak to a legal firm like Gibson Kerr to plan and
write a Will you can ensure any inheritance is properly passed on."
Celtic Research is one of the research firms who regularly feature on Heir
Hunters – a programme that showcases the work of companies who search for
the rightful heirs to fortunes left by people who did not make wills before their
deaths. The company is one of around 40 firms in the UK who dedicate
themselves to tracking down heirs across the UK – many of whom have no idea
that they are entitled to a share of a potential fortune from one of their distant
relatives. Hector Birchwood, from Celtic Research, said: "Because the nature of
our work takes us across the UK, Europe and sometimes the rest of the world,
we work very closely with agents and legal firms in all of these places to ensure
that we can resolve the cases we work on."We have worked with Gibson Kerr on
a number of occasions and have always been delighted with the high quality,
professional service that they have provided us with."
Gibson Kerr is a family-run law firm that has been established in Edinburgh for
more than 100 years. It has an excellent reputation for providing a
comprehensive service encompassing both property and personal law