At BakerLaw, we hold a number of original documents in safe storage for our clients.
We understand that you may need to access your documents at certain times, and on this page you will find details of the process for:
- Confirming we are holding your document(s);
- Requesting your document(s) from us; and
- What we will require to arrange for the document(s) to be released to you.
PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to confirm over the telephone if we hold your personal documents. You must first provide us with your ID and other relevant documents (as detailed below).
Documents we hold
The types of documents currently in our safe storage are:
Wills
If we hold your Will (for Testators)
If we are holding your Will for you, you can retrieve it from us at any time.
During your lifetime, your Will is a private document, and we have a duty to ensure we only release it to you as the person who made the Will (the Testator). This means we must ask you for some identification documents (ID) before we can confirm if we hold your Will, or release it to you. Details of the documents we will require can be found in the Testator/Donor Document Release form, below.
Please note, if you require a certified copy of your Will, there will be a charge of £5 per certified page and payment can only be taken in cash.
If you believe we are storing your Will, please complete this Testator/Donor Document Release form and return it to us with the required ID, as set out in the form.
You can return the form to us via email at documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk or by post to Baker Law LLP, Document Release – Private Client Team, Gostrey House, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT.
When someone has died (for Executors)
If we are holding a Will for someone who has passed away, we are only authorised to release it to the people they appointed to deal with their estate (the Executors), who will be named in the Will.
As the Will is a private document belonging to the person who made the Will (the Testator), we will require confirmation of the Testator’s death, to authorise us to discuss any details with the Executor(s) or release the Will to them.
Check if we hold the Will
If you know you are an Executor but you are not certain whether or not we hold someone’s Will, please email us at documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk with the following details:
- Your full name, address and telephone number;
- A copy of the death certificate;
- TWO forms of ID to confirm your identity and your address. The easiest way to provide these is a scan of your passport and driving licence. Full details of the documents we can accept as ID can be found on page 3 of the Executor Document Release form, below.
If you are unsure as to who is named as Executor(s) in the Will, please contact us with the above details. We can then check our records and if you do hold a Will and you are named as Executor, we will be able to contact you to confirm this. If we hold a Will but you are not named as Executor, we will contact the Executor directly to advise them that we hold the document.
To release the Will
If you know that we do hold someone’s Will, details of what we will require to release the Will and other documents can be found in the Executor Will Release form, below.
If the Testator has passed away, and you believe you are named as Executor in a Will that we hold, please complete this Executor Document Release form and return it to us with the required ID and other documents, as set out in the form.
If you require any certified copies of the Will, there will be a charge of £5 per certified page, and payment can only be taken in cash.
You can return the form to us via email at documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk or by post to Baker Law LLP, Document Release – Private Client Team, Gostrey House, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT.
We can also assist you in dealing with the estate, and would be happy to discuss this further with you. Please see our Probate and Estate Administration page for details of our fees, the process and how to get in touch.
When you act as someone’s Attorney (for Attorneys)
If you are appointed to act on someone’s behalf under an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) or a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) there may be situations in which you need to see the contents of that person’s Will.
As the Will is a private document belonging to the person who made the Will (the Testator), we will require confirmation of their authority for you to see the Will, or confirmation of their incapacity to deal with their affairs before we can provide you with a copy. We will also need confirmation of your authority under the EPA or LPA. Details of the documents we will require can be found in the Attorney Document Release form, below.
If you are acting as the Testator’s Attorney and require sight of their Will, please complete this Attorney Document release form and return it to us with the required ID and other documents, as set out in the form. Please note, if you are an Attorney, we can only provide you with a copy of the original Will.
You can return the form to us via email at documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk or by post to Document Release, Private Client Team, Baker Law LLP, Gostrey House, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT.
Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) & Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs)
If we hold your Power of Attorney (for Donors)
If we are holding your Power of Attorney, you can retrieve it from us at any time.
Your EPA or LPA is a private document, and we have a duty to ensure we only release it to you as the person who made the document (the Donor), or someone you have authorised to receive it. This means we must ask you for some identification documents (ID) before we can confirm if we hold your EPA or LPA, or release it to you. Details of the documents we will require can be found in the Donor EPA/LPA Release form, below.
If you believe we are storing your EPA or LPA, please complete this Testator/Donor Document Release form and return it to us with the required ID, as set out in the form.
If you require certified copies of your EPA/LPA(s) there will be a charge of £40 per certified copy and payment can only be taken in cash.
You can return the form to us via email at documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk or by post to Document Release, Private Client Team, Baker Law LLP, Gostrey House, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT.
When you act for the Donor (for Attorneys)
If we are holding someone’s EPA or LPA, we are only authorised to release it to them or the people they have appointed to deal with their affairs (their Attorneys), who will be named in the EPA or LPA.
The Donor has capacity
If the Donor has sufficient knowledge and understanding (mental capacity) to deal with their affairs, and has requested that you retrieve their original Power of Attorney document, or a certified copy, we will need to see confirmation of their instructions that we are authorised to release the EPA or LPA to you. The donor will therefore need to sign to confirm their authority to release the document(s), as part of the Attorney Document Release form, below.
If the Donor has asked you to obtain the original or a certified copy of their EPA or LPA, please complete this Attorney Document Release form and return it to us with the required ID and other documents, as set out in the form.
If you require certified copies of the EPA/LPA(s) there will be a charge of £40 per certified copy and payment can only be taken in cash.
You can return the form to us via email at documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk or by post to Baker Law LLP, Document Release, Private Client Team, Gostrey House, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT.
The Donor has lost capacity
If the Donor no longer has sufficient knowledge and understanding (mental capacity) to deal with their affairs, and you need the original Power of Attorney document(s), or a certified copy, in order to deal with their affairs, we will usually need to see confirmation of their loss of capacity to release the EPA or LPA (or a certified copy) to you. Please enclose a letter from their GP/medical practitioner with the completed Attorney Document Release form, below.
If the Donor has lost capacity, and you need to obtain the original or a certified copy of their EPA or LPA, please complete this Attorney Document Release form and return it to us with the required ID and other documents, as set out in the form.
If you require certified copies of the EPA/LPA(s) there will be a charge of £40 per certified copy and payment can only be taken in cash.
You can return the form to us via email at documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk or by post to Baker Law LLP, Document Release, Private Client Team, Gostrey House, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT.
Tanner and Taylor solicitors - Wills, LPAs, EPAs and Deeds
Whilst we are not the successor firm to Tanner and Taylor solicitors, we share the same premises as their former office and we therefore hold a number of documents which were prepared by Tanner and Taylor.
If you previously prepared or stored documents with Tanner and Taylor, and you believe we may therefore hold documents for you, please complete the relevant form and send it to us, as detailed above.
Please note we will not be able to confirm if we hold any documents over the phone, as we must first have sight of your ID before we can take any further steps.
Contact our solicitors in Farnham, Surrey
If you have any questions in regards to document release, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our Farnham based Private Client team on 01252 733770 or by emailing documentrelease@baker-law.co.uk.