If you are trying to find out if a deceased person had a last will and testament, you may be looking for their lawyer. This way, you can determine if you are the beneficiary of any of the deceased person’s inheritance.
When a loved one passes away, navigating the maze of legal and estate matters can be daunting, especially when it comes to finding their lawyer. Who was managing their legal affairs? Where do you even start looking for this crucial information?
The deceased person’s property should be distributed according to their wishes. As such, the best way to determine their last wishes is by speaking to the lawyer and looking over the deceased individual’s will.
How to Look for a Deceased Person's Lawyer
Look Through Their Personal Space
When beginning the search for a deceased person's lawyer, the most immediate action is to investigate the deceased's personal spaces. This includes their home and workplace, where important documents are often stored.
Start by examining file cabinets, desk drawers, and even personal safes where sensitive documents like wills, property deeds, and legal correspondence are typically kept.
It's not uncommon for individuals to keep business cards or letterheads from their attorney in these places, which can provide crucial contact information.
Ask Family and Friends
Next, ask close friends and family. You should ask them if they know any relevant information about locating the lawyer. This includes arrests, lawsuits, legal contracts, and agreements that may have involved the deceased person’s lawyer.
You can also contact people who conducted business with the deceased individual. The business partners may know if the deceased had a lawyer review contracts before signing them. However, the executor of the deceased person’s estate should know who the lawyer is. Therefore, you should get in touch with this individual first.
Search Courthouse Records
Your next step is to visit the local county courthouse where the deceased person lived. Look for family law, civil litigation, and criminal court records by party name to see if any records exist under the deceased individual’s name.
If the deceased person ever got sued, sued someone, got arrested, or got divorced, the county courthouse will have a file of the event. Furthermore, you should ask the workers at the courthouse how to locate and view the file.
Once you have the file in your hands, look for the name of any lawyer or law firm listed as the attorney of record for the deceased person.
If you have trouble finding the lawyer’s name, repeat the same process at the federal district courthouse where the deceased person lived. This courthouse contains tax court records, bankruptcy records, and records related to federal criminal and civil charges. Search for files under the deceased person’s name until you find the lawyer’s name.
The next step is to contact the phone numbers listed for the lawyer you found in the court records. If the phone numbers are invalid or unavailable, you can call the state bar association where the lawyer practices and ask to speak with a person in charge of membership records. If the lawyer is still practicing law, the state bar association will have their contact information.
Do a Notary Public Search
If you're still looking, the next step is to gather all signed legal documents found among the deceased person’s property. Then, see if any signatures were notarized. You can visit the county assessor’s office where the deceased person owned real property to search for notarized deed records.
Divorce settlement agreements, signatures on deeds, and affidavits are among the documents that would require notarization. If the deceased person’s signature is notarized, they signed the document before a notary public.
Next, contact the secretary of state's office of the state where the notary public authenticated the deceased person’s records. Ask for the contact information of the specific notary public.
Once you have the notary public’s contact information, call or write to them explaining the situation. You should discuss that you want to find the deceased person’s lawyer. Since most notary publics are employed by law firms to help clients who need to sign legal documents, they likely know who the lawyer was.
Find the Deceased Person's Will
The next step is to find the deceased person’s will. If you are a close family member or relative, you may be able to search through the deceased person’s home. However, you can also contact the probate office to see if your loved one had a will.
If you find the will, the estate planning lawyer’s name will typically be listed. Therefore, you can find the lawyer’s name and contact them for the necessary information.
Related: What Is Probate?
Check With Caregivers
If the deceased person stayed in a nursing home, for example, you can visit the home and ask the staff if they know who the person’s lawyer was.
The nursing home may know who the lawyer was because the lawyer may have signed in while visiting the deceased person to finalize their estate planning documents.
Plan With Trustworthy
To prevent the post-death confusion of locating a deceased person’s lawyer, you can organize all of life’s important information with Trustworthy. Trustworthy is an innovative digital storage platform that keeps your family’s information secure and organized.
Once you upload your documents to Trustworthy, you can use Trustworthy’s secure collaboration tools to make sure the right people have access, now or after you've died. Then, the individuals you've entrusted with your account information will be able to quickly find the name of your lawyer.
Try Trustworthy for free for 14 days. No credit card is required.
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