Gibson Kerr Helps Track Down Lost Fortunes

Gibson Kerr are solicitors in Edinburgh and Glasgow who specialise in Family and personal law. They are experts in Executies, living wills, power of attorney and more.

About Gibson Kerr

Gibson Kerr is a family-run law firm that has been established in Edinburgh. Our main areas of practice are family law; personal law and property law. This includes divorce and separation, guardianship, prenuptial agreements, cohabitation, power of attorney, executries/probate, estate planning, inheritance tax and wills.

Gibson Kerr Celtic research inherit case Heir Hunters work firm

Gibson Kerr are solicitors in Edinburgh and Glasgow who specialise in Family and personal law. They are experts in Executies, living wills, power of attorney and more.

About Gibson Kerr

Gibson Kerr Celtic research inherit case Heir Hunters work firm

Gibson Kerr Helps Track Down Lost Fortunes  
Gibson Kerr, which has more than 100 years’ experience in the Capital, has been 
working with English inheritance research firm Celtic Research who specialise in 
searching for the rightful heirs to fortunes left by people who did not make Wills 
before their deaths.  
One of their success stories even featured in a recent episode of the hit BBC1 
show Heir Hunters. In the programme, Celtic Research sought to resolve an 
unclaimed inheritance left by an elderly man in Glasgow. They traced the 
deceased next of kin to an address in England, but needed Gibson Kerr's help to 
arrange the necessary legal requirements in Scotland to make sure that the 
inheritance could be claimed. Fiona Rasmusen, Partner at the firm, said: "We 
have worked together with the team from Celtic Research on a number of 
previous occasions, so we were delighted to help them for a specific case for the 
BBC Heir Hunters programme. 
 "The case involved an elderly man who had died in Glasgow, but the nearest 
next of kin that could be found for his inheritance was a lady who lived in the 
south of England. She didn't even know that she had a relative in Scotland who 
had died – or that she was legally entitled to the money he had left. "When all of 
the necessary research had been done and the Celtic Research team had 
determined that she stood to inherit the money, we were contacted and we 
helped them obtain the necessary confirmation that they needed from the Sheriff 
Court in Glasgow for the case. "Without getting this confirmation, they would not 
have been able to get the inheritance and give it to its rightful recipient. "Although 
we didn't have any screen time on the programme, our services were vital to 
ensure a successful outcome to the case so we are very happy to have been 
involved."  
Fiona added that while the assignments are not part of their core services – 
Gibson Kerr specialises in family and divorce law as well as executry work – they 
enjoy being able to help bring new wealth to unsuspecting people. She said: "In 
many cases, the recipients have no idea they are in line for a windfall. Many 
cases only involve a few thousand pounds – such as the case featured in Heir 
Hunters – but on occasions these estates can total more than £1m. The reactions 
from people being told about these inheritances are, as you can imagine, very 
dramatic. "However, what this does show more than anything is the importance of 
writing a Will. If the rightful heirs are not tracked down, then the inheritance is lost 
forever. But by taking time to speak to a legal firm like Gibson Kerr to plan and 
write a Will you can ensure any inheritance is properly passed on."  
Celtic Research is one of the research firms who regularly feature on Heir 
Hunters – a programme that showcases the work of companies who search for 
the rightful heirs to fortunes left by people who did not make wills before their 
deaths. The company is one of around 40 firms in the UK who dedicate 
themselves to tracking down heirs across the UK – many of whom have no idea 
that they are entitled to a share of a potential fortune from one of their distant 
relatives. Hector Birchwood, from Celtic Research, said: "Because the nature of 
our work takes us across the UK, Europe and sometimes the rest of the world, 
we work very closely with agents and legal firms in all of these places to ensure 
that we can resolve the cases we work on."We have worked with Gibson Kerr on 
a number of occasions and have always been delighted with the high quality, 
professional service that they have provided us with."  
Gibson Kerr is a family-run law firm that has been established in Edinburgh for 
more than 100 years. It has an excellent reputation for providing a 
comprehensive service encompassing both property and personal law