My mother passed away in March of this year. She had a Will which in the hands of a law firm in Newcastle. I live overseas and when I went to Australia for the funeral I had decided to use a different wills and estate planning lawyer to process the Will. I had an appointment with the lawyer who holds the Will in order to collect it. However he refused to hand it over. I left without it and handed the whole thing over to my lawyer in Sydney. I was only in Aus for a few days.
Now after all these months the lawyer in Newcastle is still holding the Will despite numerous requests from my Sydney lawyer to send it to him. He has only sent a copy, which is of no real use in finalizing all the details. I am thinking the first lawyer was simply a bit miffed at losing the job and is sticking as many spanners in the works as possible. He promises to send it but never does.
With all the phone calls, letters and emails going out from my Sydney lawyer the bill is mounting up to quite a sum. All could have been avoided had the first lawyer simply handed over the Will to me or sent it to my lawyer.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do about this?
Points to note:
One of my brother was named as executor in the Will but he passed away before my mother. His ex wife who was also my mother gaudian is now executor. There are 3 remaining sons. 2 living outside Australia.
Now after all these months the lawyer in Newcastle is still holding the Will despite numerous requests from my Sydney lawyer to send it to him. He has only sent a copy, which is of no real use in finalizing all the details. I am thinking the first lawyer was simply a bit miffed at losing the job and is sticking as many spanners in the works as possible. He promises to send it but never does.
With all the phone calls, letters and emails going out from my Sydney lawyer the bill is mounting up to quite a sum. All could have been avoided had the first lawyer simply handed over the Will to me or sent it to my lawyer.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do about this?
Points to note:
One of my brother was named as executor in the Will but he passed away before my mother. His ex wife who was also my mother gaudian is now executor. There are 3 remaining sons. 2 living outside Australia.