Heirs

If you have been contacted by us this could be because we believe you or somebody you are related to could be entitled to a share of an estate where Nordic Search Partner is engaged to identify and locate the heirs. This would usually be an intestate estate, which means an estate where someone passed away without leaving a valid Will.

Research to find you

We have often put down a considerable amount of work in order to locate you – weeks and months of research in archives and other sources locally and abroad. In most cases we have created a family tree based on genealogical research or we are in the process of gathering information for this purpose.

This is necessary in order to establish that we have located all people entitled to a share of the estate in accordance with the inheritance laws of the country/state where the estate is administered. We are happy to give our clients a copy of this extensive work (family tree) free of charge as soon as the estate administration is finalized and the estate assets have been distributed.

Represent your interests

In order for you to get your lawful share of the estate a claim must be submitted on your behalf. For this purpose you would need assistance from a local attorney to represent your interests at the various hearings and other meetings taking place at the local Probate Court.

Throughout the process Nordic Search Partner would act as a party between you as an heir and our attorney. We will keep you informed about the case status and we are available for any additional questions you may have.

All work is done on your behalf

All necessary work in connection with this matter will be conducted by Nordic Search Partner and our collaborators. The partners of Nordic Search Partner have extensive experience with international inheritance cases and you can therefore rest assured that we would represent your interests in a professional manner.

Who pays for the work conducted?

There will always be costs involved in connection with Nordic Search Partner’s research and for obtaining proofs, in addition to fees for the attorney representing your interests. These costs are paid by Nordic Search Partner and you would not be charged for any of these.

We work by a fee structure based on a percentage of any inheritance you may receive from the estate. We are only paid the agreed fee if we are successful in proving your Court claim and if there is a distribution from the estate. Our fee is deducted from your inheritance share before the remaining amount is paid to you. We would never ask you to pay us any advance fees.

In case the estate only consists of debts or should your claim not get approved by the Court you will not be liable for any costs. Nordic Search Partner and our collaborators will cover all costs in connection with the work we have invested in this matter.

We can assist you throughout the entire process from A to Z. This involves obtaining proofs on behalf of our clients and translating these documents to the local language as this is usually foreign estates.

It also involves submitting a claim for a share of the estate, to represent the interests of our clients in the various meetings at the Probate Court and if necessary give expert testimony to confirm that all heirs have been accounted for.

Estate matters of this kind are time consuming and it is not unusual for the estate administration to take from 6-18 months and in some cases longer time to finalize.

Please see the following process description outlining some of the phases of a case from start to end.