If the answer to these questions is YES then Tony Pearce Consultancy Services and Spencer West can help.

The difficulties people face first protecting their entitlement and recovering what is due to them in these circumstances can be varied and often complex due to the different laws, court procedures and e.g. taxation obligations faced in different legal jurisdictions.

Often, relatives will take advantage of their proximity to the deceased and will seek to exclude those living abroad entirely to their own advantage. Beneficiaries of assets held in other countries may be faced with hostility from those administering an estate in a different jurisdiction or who are holding assets. Fraud may also be a feature.

Complications can also arise due to different tax regimes, often unhelpful interference by banks and other such institutions and identification requirements.

The role of the lawyer in these circumstances is to seek to identify and simplify the processes, assist the client protect against the loss of assets, avoid unnecessary costs and seek the best possible outcome. Liaising with trusted and suitably experienced lawyers and other professionals in countries where assets are held is very often necessary.

Tony Pearce can assist. Spencer West has an experienced team of trusted and experienced lawyers in many of the jurisdictions where a person died or assets are located.