A solicitor I've never dealt with called claiming they hold my late relative's will and need payment to release it. Is this normal?
This is unusual and worth verifying carefully: if your relative genuinely used a solicitor, the family typically already knows or can find out through the deceased's paperwork, and a legitimate firm would not demand payment simply to disclose the existence or contents of a will.
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
Explanation
Wills are typically stored either with the solicitor who drafted them, in a safe deposit box, with a will registration service, or at home among personal papers, and families usually have some idea of where to look based on the deceased's own records or prior conversations. If a solicitor genuinely holds a will, they will typically confirm this to a rightful executor or family member without demanding payment simply to acknowledge the will exists or share its basic contents, since releasing this information is a standard part of estate administration, not a separately billable service requiring upfront payment.
Scammers impersonating solicitors sometimes cold-call families shortly after a death becomes public, claiming to hold a will and demanding a 'release fee' or 'storage fee' before disclosing anything, banking on the family's uncertainty about where the actual will might be. This scam can be particularly convincing if the caller has picked up genuine surface details about the deceased from an obituary, making the claim feel plausible even though the underlying claim of holding a will is fabricated.
If you receive such a call, verify independently by checking any paperwork the deceased left behind for their actual solicitor's details, contacting your local law society or bar association to confirm the firm is real and registered, and calling that firm through an independently found number rather than the one provided by the caller.
Common red flags
- Solicitor firm is unfamiliar and not one the family has any prior connection to
- Payment demanded before disclosing the will's existence or basic contents
- Firm cannot be verified through your local law society or bar association register
- Pressure to pay quickly to avoid delays in accessing the will
- Caller relies heavily on details that appear to be sourced from an obituary
What to do now
- Check the deceased's own paperwork for any indication of a solicitor they actually used
- Verify the calling firm's registration with your local law society or bar association
- Call the firm back using an independently found number, not one provided by the caller
- Never pay a fee simply to learn whether a will exists or to hear its basic contents
- Report suspicious calls to consumer protection authorities or your local law society's complaints process
Frequently asked questions
How can I find out if my relative actually had a will with a solicitor?
Check personal paperwork, ask close family or friends who might know, and consider checking a national will registry or asking local solicitors in the area where the deceased lived if such services are recognized in your jurisdiction.
Is it normal for solicitors to charge any fee related to a will?
Legitimate solicitors may charge for estate administration services, but this is typically explained clearly in a written engagement letter as part of ongoing probate work, not as an upfront fee just to disclose a will's existence over an unsolicited call.