How to request your Will
To request your original Will from us please initially contact info@shma.co.uk or call our Client Contact Team on 0121 214 0000. A member of the team will take your details and one of the Assistants in our Private Client Team will return your call to advise on what documents we will need from you to release your Will.
If you want to makes changes to your Will, need assistance with Estate Administration or other matters, or need help or advice in respect of the documents, the Private Client Assistant can also set up a telephone, virtual or face-to-face meeting with one of the lawyers in the team.
We will send all original documents to you by Special Delivery and we shall then return all original documents sent to us with your Will.
Please be aware that all of our original documents are stored securely off-site so it may take a few days from making your request to receive them at the office.
If your Will is stored with us, you may retrieve this at any time.
Step 1
Your written authority in the form of a letter requesting that the Will be released to you.
This will need to be signed with your normal signature (unfortunately, we cannot accept email requests or electronic signatures).
Please ensure that your letter requesting your Will includes your full name, postal address and contact details (telephone number and email). Please confirm the address to which you would like the Will to be sent.
Step 2
Certified Copy photographic identification, such as a Passport or Driving Licence.
The document can be certified by a regulated professional such as a solicitor or an accountant who should use the following, or equivalent wording: “I certify that this is a true copy of the original and a true likeness of X”.
Alternatively, the document can be taken to a Post Office where someone will certify a copy for a small fee.
If you do not have a Passport or Driving Licence, please let us know and we will discuss alternative arrangements.
Step 3
If applicable, provide evidence of name change.
If you have changed your name since making the Will, we will need to see evidence of this (such as a Marriage Certificate or Change of Name Deed). Any documents will either have to be original or Certified Copies.
Step 4
Send us your documents.
Please send all documentation required to our relevant office address. A full list of our office can be found here