Press & Media

New Law Journal, March 2005

'Castaways: searching for lost beneficiaries'

Daniel Curran, director at Finders says: "Most cases we deal with are for inheritance values of only £1,000 or £2,000 - high values passing to individuals in the style of a lottery win are very rare. If it's easy to solve, we solve it easily and the bill will reflect that"... When looking for someone abroad, Mr Curran says, one should firstly exhaust all possible avenues within the UK first... Speaking to or writing to people and taking note of rumours or speculation may be very useful - although you must be prepared to have a great deal of your time wasted! "Once you move into overseas territory, research can be a minefield... it can save time and money to use [genealogy] services from an early stage"... "Pre-1983, most life events such as birth, marriage and death are not on any searchable data. After 1983, we must buy or subscribe to a variety of online databases and searchable research media. Other than that, long slogs through manual records and dusty books are not yet consigned to history".

Other Interviews

• Association of Women Solicitors Magazine 2009 - 'Missing In Action'
  ...probate genealogists specialise in identifying and locating missing heirs worldwide for solicitors, executors administrators and trustees of estates...their stories [are] often fascinating....read more read more
• Law Society Probate Section Yearbook 2006 - 'Genealogists'
  ...[genealogists] charging on an hourly rate can lead to high charges, whereas the no-win no-fee contingency charging is preferable in many cases... read more
• Solicitors Journal, October 2004 - 'Finding Seekers'
  If you need help tracing missing heirs globally, genealogists provide specialist services... read more
• Law Society Probate Section Journal, May 2004 - 'Bona Vacantia Estates'
  Despite the fact that there is no overall regulatory body, this is almost a complaint-free industry, according to Daniel Curran, owner and director at Finders, who has 14 years experience in Probate Genealogy and is registered as a Law Society-Checked Expert Witness... read more