Solicitor completely effed up!

[JessicaRabbit23]

Can anybody let me know if this is ok to send to a solicitor for a complaint? Am I being unreasonable?
thanks

Dear [Solicitor’s Name or Firm],

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding serious errors during the probate process of [Deceased’s Name]. Two wills were provided to your firm: a revoked will and the most recent valid will. Despite clear communication, the revoked will was initially sent to probate, delaying the process by several months. While I was understanding, the situation escalated when HMRC granted probate, but then uploaded the revoked will to the public registry. This has resulted in the previous beneficiary being aware of their inclusion in a superseded will, creating significant concern.

Although I contacted your office immediately upon discovering this error, and you acted swiftly to correct it, the fact remains that this mistake has jeopardized the integrity of the probate process and caused undue stress. Given these circumstances, I request that your firm cover any legal costs I now incur due to potential contestation of the will. I would also like a written clarification confirming whether this incident constitutes legal malpractice or gross misconduct. Should I not receive satisfactory resolution, I will have no choice but to escalate this matter.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Contact Information]

Why were 2 wills provided and not just the valid one?

I would also like a written clarification confirming whether this incident constitutes legal malpractice or gross misconduct.

Take out this sentence

A) Why did you provide a revoked will?

B) It sounds like the error was HMRCs in uploading the revoked will despite having the current one, so in all honesty I don't know how much joy you'll get here.

From a quick read, and with no comment on the rights and wrongs of your situation, I would change it to you expect the solicitors to cover your additional legal costs, rather than request.

Add dates where you can, for example when you called having discovered the error - plus who you spoke with.

Give a deadline for a response, something along the lines of ‘I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible, and in any event, no later than the close of business 10 March 2026. I have not had a satisfactory response by that date, I will escalate matters.’

Jeopardised unless you’re in America.
The letter reads like an AI offering.

Why did you send them both wills?

Yes it sounds careless as the date should have clarified which will was which. People make mistakes though. I bet even you do at your work, would you expect hauled over the coals and sacked? What are you actually expecting out of this? Other than an awkward situation with the previous would be beneficiary what has been the detriment.

While I was understanding, the situation escalated

I don't know what you mean by "While I was understanding". I'd take that out.

Then it was HMRC who shared the old will, not the solicitor? Or did the solicitor send the wrong will to HMRC? I'm not clear who's responsible.

Did ChatGPT write this?

First sentence is missing the word 'made' and jeopardised is the UK spelling.

I'm not sure how you can ask them to cover costs for something that hasn't happened and may still not happen.

Remove the sentence about legal malpractice and gross misconduct altogether as it's neither.

Why was the original will not destroyed? When you formally revoke the old document best practice dictates that you destroy the original to prevent any ambiguity. I would say that was your own error and without it this situation could not have arisen. That said I also don't know why the former version wasn't just returned to the you at the time.

Were you the executor or was the lawyer? If you are the executor then you would have had to sign the will to send it off when you apply for probate. So you should have checked then. We just did this on Thursday for my FIL estate and had to sign the tax forms and the will.

If the lawyers were the executors then they should have done this so clearly an error. I don't know why the lawyer kept both wills.

HMRC doesn’t issue grants of probate, the probate registry does.

Also why did you provide the revoked will? Wouldn’t that have just muddied the waters?

Two wills were provided to your firm
Why? Was on found after the 1st has been submitted?

Why did you send them 2 wills and not just the most recent valid will, did they request both. What concern did it create if the person was already a beneficiary in the first will and is still a beneficiary in the second will. Who by and why would the valid will be contested. Why would you have to pay out if someone else contests the will . You don't ask the solicitor if it's malpractice, that's probably for a different solicitor or the SRA to determine.

Firstly, why were two wills provided? Secondly, what loss have you suffered? It may be worth bringing this to their attention, to avoid it happening in future, but at the moment you haven’t suffered any financial loss so I can’t see what you’ll otherwise gain.

It's nothing to do with HMRC so if this is a genuine complaint you need to get the facts right

The company that held the wills sent them to me I just sent all the paperwork to the solicitor doing probate. I had no idea what I was doing I was grieving. The revoked will was a copy not an original. Solicitor told me it would be destroyed as not needed. Then it got sent by mistake.

Yes a revoked copy and a recent valid one. I didn’t go with the will holders as there fee was so high.

That’s helpful.

They are not named in the most recent will. But because of the error of the revoked will being uploaded they went into one (rightly so) (and now know they was in a previous will) thinking they had been left out of the whole process. And had money coming there way and I had to say no and it was abit of a mess and they asking me questions I don’t know the answers too

Who held the 2 wills? Who were the executors of the final will. How has this affected the beneficiary and what are your concerns. Why could it be contested. I don't understand why you were sent the wills unless you were the executor.

It’s 100% chat gpt 🤣 is this not allowed?

But that's not your concern, the deceased changed their will which they are legally allowed to do unless it was under duress or not legally signed. Tell them to contact the solicitor. They can't just"go into one" .without good reason.