questions & answers

Question: Our former estate lawyer failed to pay for 'records storage' (among which were our wills and trust) and now that we need them because we need to update our trust, the company won't release them to us. How can we get the company to release our papers? We are willing to pay an access fee.

Answer: From your question, it appears that attorney had the agreement with the records storage company and so they are not willing to release the documents to anyone else. If you haven't already done so, you may want to contact the attorney. If you have attempted to contact the attorney, without success, you might want to contact the State Bar of Arizona. Please note that if you have copies of the documents, you can typically make amendments or changes without needing the originals. The original Will is needed if a probate will be opened (or at least the probate process will be less expensive and happen more quickly).