What's New at Fraser & Fraser
Third Series of Heir Hunters Documentary commissioned for BBC1
Filming is starting for the third instalment of the popular documentary series, which shadows Fraser & Fraser and other probate researchers in their search for the legitimate heirs to estates left behind by people dying without a valid will.
The first and second series were broadcast on BBC1 in the summers of 2007 and 2008, and were viewed by a record-breaking audience for the 9.15 am slot.
We hope to beat even those the next time around!
Second Series of Heir Hunters Documentary now on BBC1
The hugely successful Heir Hunters documentary series returns to BBC1at 9.15am Monday to Friday for four weeks, starting on Monday 30th June 2008.
Following the unexpected success of the first series, which followed probate researchers undertaking time-consuming research to locate missing heirs and beneficiaries, in the process unearthing moving human stories and sometimes resulting in emotional reunions between estranged relatives, the BBC commissioned a second series to be shown on BBC1 every day at 9.15am for four weeks starting Monday 30th June 2008.
The cameras shadow Fraser & Fraser in-house and external researchers on typical days as they attempt to crack the Treasury's list of declared intestate estates. Detailed desk, microfiche and registrar certificate searches are followed up by personal telephone calls and house visits in a race against time to identify correctly the relatives entitled to inherit under the Administration of Estates Act 1925 - often with breathtaking results for the heirs they track down. Often the personal stories involved bring back painful memories for the families torn apart by history and fate, whilst bringing hope for long lost relatives put in touch with kin they thought long gone.
Each programme is available on the BBC iPlayer service for a week after screening (www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer)
In the first series broadcast last summer, Fraser & Fraser featured as the main focus of a 15-part documentary about Probate Research which was also screened on BBC1 (please see below for further details).
Back by popular interest, the first series is curently being repeated on UK People. Watch it again on the following channels:
Satellite Sky Digital Channel 534 Cable Virgin Media Channel 206 IPTV over ADSL Tiscali TV Channel 118.
Law Society Excellence Awards 2007 Fraser & Fraser is proud to have sponsored The Law Society Lexcel Award for Excellence in Practice Standards at the above event, highlighting excellence in practice management and service delivery from practices that have successfully implemented the Lexcel Standards. This is a certification close to our hearts as our own legal department has been awarded this accreditation.
The ceremony was held at the Honourable Artillery Company in London on Thursday 25th October.
A list of winners, as well as photographs of the event can be seen on the Law Society website.
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Heir Hunters: BBC1 Documentary
Fraser & Fraser featured as the main focus in a 15-part documentary about Probate Research shown on BBC1 in June 2007. The series followed the firm to show how time consuming research positively impacts people’s lives.
The cameras shadowed Fraser & Fraser in-house and external researchers on a typical day as they attempt to crack the Treasury’s list of intestate estates. Detailed desk, microfiche and registrar certificate searches are followed up by personal telephone calls and house visits in a race against time to identify correctly the closest living relatives of people who appear to have died without wills or close relatives- with breath taking results for those lucky heirs found. Often the personal stories involved bring back painful memories for the families torn apart by history and fate, whilst bringing hope for long lost relatives put in touch with kin they thought long gone.
Fraser & Fraser, one of London’s oldest firm of genealogists and probate researchers, has been conducting world-class research for over 30 years, aiding the distribution of over £330 million among well over 40,000 beneficiaries. Working from their headquarters in London, Fraser & Fraser now has branches in Birmingham (UK), Manchester (UK), Paris (France), Warsaw (Poland), Krakow (Poland), Rome (Italy) and Oslo (Norway), and has developed an extensive network of agents throughout the world, a combination which enables rapid and efficient identification and localisation in most scenarios.
The programmes shed light on the hidden world of professional genealogy, and was shown every day for three weeks from Monday 4th June 2007 on BBC1.
Triple Success
The number three seems to be our lucky number.
We have had three generations of the family working in this field and now we are the only firm of genealogists to have achieved the following triple certification based exclusively on merit.
We have been independently certified as meeting the highest international standards of:
ISO 9001:2005 “Quality Management Systems” (how we run our research and cases)
ISO 27001 “Information Security” (how we protect client data, and ensure best-practice security).
Finally, our legal department has been accredited with:
Lexcel (uniquely in the industry we have an in-house solicitor. Having such a qualified person liaising with the managers and researchers keeps us on the right track. The Lexcel certification shows that our solicitor meets the required standards of excellence)
These quality marks mean we have undergone rigorous independent assessment of our procedures and documentation, as well as three days of on-site inspection to ensure we meet the required standards of excellence. We will be regularly assessed to ensure standards are not only maintained but also continuously improved.
You can rest assured that none of these three certifications required the payment of large sums of money (see article below) - although nominal registration and assessment fees were paid to SGS, one of the UKAS appointed registration bodies.
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ISO 9001:2005
Quality Management |
Legal Department
excellence
| ISO 27001
Information Security |
Survey Results
(Published on 19 October 2006)
"It was a requirement that ‘bids
should be no lower than £35,000’.
Do you feel it is appropriate for
payments to be associated with
Law Society Endorsement?" |
Endorsement?
The Law Society’s Commercial Division invited us to tender for Law Society Endorsement. It was stated that tenders “should be no less than £35,000”.
As you can read in the article above, our legal department decided to apply for the Law Society’s Lexcel certification instead. However, we are constantly evaluating solicitors’ views, and so asked a group of solicitors the following question regarding the tender process; “It was a requirement that ‘bids should be no lower than £35,000’. Do you feel it is appropriate for payments to be associated with Law Society Endorsement?”
We received over 200 responses and found that 83% of the solicitors who answered were against large payments being associated with Law Society endorsements.
All things considered, we’re pleased to have chosen the Lexcel route instead!
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House
of Lords Victory - 27 October 2005
Simon & Nathan Fraser of Fraser & Fraser, a London based leading firm
of genealogists and international probate researchers have been successful in
their Appeal to the House of Lords in connection with the 1841 School
Sites Act. For more information, click here
Charles Fraser made President of the
City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society
We
are pleased to announce that
our in-house solicitor, Charles Fraser, has become the
President of the City of Westminster and Holborn Law
Society. We are honoured to have someone with such recognition
working as our head of legal at Fraser & Fraser. (11
October 2005) . [Update Charles' one year team has now come to an end.]
STEP
Excellence Awards 2005
The
aim of the Society of Trust and
Estate Practitioners (STEP)
is to promote good practice and expertise. It is because we
recognise the importance of STEP that Fraser & Fraser
became the first and only probate research company to have
an in-house STEP practitioner in January 2001.
On
28th April 2005 we were pleased to sponsor the President’s
Prize at the first STEP Excellence Awards, which rewarded
the successes of the STEP England and Wales students
and, in particular, the high achievers amongst them.
In
the photograph
you can see Simon Fraser (left) and Keith Dudley
(right) who was accepting the President's
Prize on behalf of the winner
David Cooney from Aaron & Partners (who was unable
to attend).
New
office opened in Poland (Krakow)
Fraser & Fraser opened its eighth
European research centre in Krakow in 2004.
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