AN ONLINE register of wills has been developed by a County Limerick entrepreneur to replace manual filing systems and minimise the risk of disputes and legal conflict.
The Irish Will Register (www.thewillregister.ie) is the brainchild of Mike Fraher, who joined forces with Carlow based solicitors Farrell McElwee to launch the digital resource which is aimed at Ireland’s 3,000 law firms.
The Anglesboro man said he expected the register to become an essential part of the legal service for anybody making a will.
“I spotted that Ireland was the only country in Europe that did not have an online Will Register. I approached Simon McElwee and Joe Farrell and they immediately saw the merit in setting it up,” Mike told the Limerick Post.
According to Joe Farrell of Farrell McElwee, the use of an online will Register has reduced the number of disputes and, where there is a dispute, facilitated a more speedy resolution.
“I get emails almost every day of the week asking do I know of the whereabouts of a will. Every solicitor does. This mail may have gone to a large number of practices in the area. We have to reply because we will be asking the same question for our clients regularly. Most of the time does not produce the desired result and that is a lot of time that could be better spent.” he explained.
The Irish Will Register enables the appropriate person to find the location of the will and access it when it is required. Confidential information, pertaining to the contents of a will, is never held by The Irish Will Register team and is not part of the Registration process.
Existing wills can be added to The Irish Will Register by an individual or solicitor at any time. Once registered a certificate of registration is issued which can be stored with other important documents.
The Irish Will Register team do not ever see, or need to see, the contents of the will. In the event of the will being required, a search of the register will give the information about where the will is held, provided that it has been registered. Normally the will is registered when drawn up.
