Daniel Curran highlights the problems caused by incomplete heir research
Probate practitioners who have been unfortunate enough to experience a claim on an estate from an entitled person will know how much of a problem this can be, especially if the claim surfaces after distribution has already taken place. If no indemnity insurance policy was put in place prior to distribution the consequences could be calamitous.
Finders have found around 50% of cases referred to them with partial or incomplete research contain serious errors or omissions. Often it is more time-consuming and expensive to undo and re-do what has already been done (incorrectly) than it would have been to start from scratch.
The main causes of errors & claims
As time marches on we will no doubt see an increase of births to unmarried couples or single parent families which, from a research point of view, can be almost impossible to detect. The traditional methods of researching a family tree rely on the neat assumptions of marriage followed by children which simply don’t apply anymore.
The internet research resources commonly used
