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Fulchers' Documents & WIlls

Documents and Wills
Fulchers Solicitors of 8 Chertsey Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 5AB ceased trading on 30 September 2011.


They passed to us for storage the following documents:

1. Original Wills of their clients

2. Original title deeds relating to house properties owned by their clients

These documents are being stored by us confidentially, unread and without charge. We have no financial arrangement with Messrs Fulchers in respect of the storage of the above documents or otherwise.

We do not have Messrs Fulchers' files save for a small number where monies have been retained at the request of clients for a limited period following a property transaction. In those cases we have written to the clients concerned. All other files have been retained by Messrs Fulchers. Please refer to their website for further information: www.fulchers.co.uk

We have not merged with Messrs Fulchers nor taken over their business.

We have not audited or examined the Wills and title documents mentioned above at numbered points 1 and 2, and we do not know if we have a complete set of the deeds and Wills previously held by Messrs Fulchers.

We have not been instucted to act in connection with these matters and we shall not undertake any work in connection with them, unless we are instructed by the document -owners (that is, the former clients of Messrs Fulchers) to do so. We do not have instructions to accept service of proceedings or other process on behalf of those document-owners or on behalf of Messrs Fulchers.

We are effectively acting as a secure storage facility on behalf of Messrs Fulchers. The documents will not be released to any third party save on instructions from Messrs Fulchers or with the express authority of the respective document-owners or unless we we have a legal obligation to do so (for example, pursuant to a Court Order).

If we are holding documents belonging to you then we shall be happy to release them to you on production of appropriate evidence of your identity.

No charge will be made for the release of the above documents on demand, nor for their storage in the meantime, nor their confidential shredding in due course. If you wish us to arrange for the documents to be sent to you then we shall ask you to cover the reasonable expenses involved. The carriage of documents by any third party (such as postal or courier services) will be at your risk.

Documents of title which in our reasonable opinion we consider to be non-essential or readily replaceable (for example, where an Official Copy of the document is held by the Land Registry) will be shredded confidentially after 1 January 2018. Other documents, including Wills, original leases and original life policies, will be retained indefinitely. We reserve the right after 1 January 2018 to change this policy but at least 12 months' notice of any such change will be posted on this website.


You may contact us by any of the following means:


a)     In person at our offices at 31 Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7QQ. Monday - Friday, 9.15 am - 5.15 pm.   We are not open on public holidays.

b)     Tel          01483 715527

c)    Fax          01483 723237

d)    Email       jsb@buglear-bate.co.uk

e)     Post        31 Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7QQ

f)     DX           2906 Woking


Notes:

1.    Please allow 3 working days for us to respond to your enquiry.

2.     If the documents are owned jointly (for example in respect of a joint purchase of property) then we will need all owners to consent to the release of the documents and we will need evidence of identity in respect of all owners. If that is not possible, say because of a dispute between the owners, then we can arrange to produce certified copies of original documents for a fee.

3.     If you have any concerns as to the arrangements for the safekeeping of your Will or title documents, please refer them to Jeremy Bate, the partner at this firm with responsibility for them and this firm's designated complaints-handling partner: jsb@buglear-bate.co.uk; 01483 715527. If we cannot resolve the problem then we will advise you how to refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman, the body which deals with complaints against lawyers in England and Wales. You may also contact the Legal Ombudsman direct at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ; telephone 0300 555 0333; enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk; www.legalombudsman.org.uk. Complaints to the ombudsman must be made within 12 months of the issue arising and no later than 6 months after your last contact with the solicitor or his/her firm.



Updated 3 December 2013




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