First Heir Hunting Firm to Join PALS

Finders has joined the Professional Association of Legal Services (PALS) – and we are the only heir hunting firm in the organisation’s Select group of members.

Formed in 2002, PALS addresses the gap in the regulation of the independent legal services industry, providing peace of mind for clients of companies that might cease to trade without a commercial successor. Prior to 2002, clients could risk losing contact with their wills and other services they had bought.

The organisation provides security and peace of mind to clients of its members – and by joining PALS, Finders can pass on that peace of mind to our clients. As a member of the Select group, we are committed to client satisfaction and strive to be the market leaders in providing protected services for clients.

No Additional Charge

In the unlikely event that Finders is not able to provide the services for which our clients are entitled, then the remaining companies in the organisation undertake to provide those services at no additional charge to the client.

As far as we are concerned, the advantages for our clients are in the PALS client charter.

The charter states that PALS will provide continuity of service to its member clients, giving them peace of mind when they buy goods or services

Reputable Organisations

When clients buy services from a PALS member, they can be assured that the services purchased are backed by a reputable and established organisation which has many years of experience behind it

PALS membership is limited to companies with a proven track record in the legal services industry – so clients know they will be dealing with reputable and established companies.

The probate genealogy (or heir hunting) industry isn’t regulated, but here at Finders we look continuously for independent ways that we can prove that we are a reputable and professional business.

Other Accreditations

Our PALS Select group membership joins a number of other accreditations and credentials. We are members of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) – again, the only heir hunting members. We hold an ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificate for information security management systems – the first and only probate genealogy firm to achieve the international version of this standard.

We have a D&B D-U-N-S Number®, a unique nine-digit sequence number, which is used as the standard for identifying and keeping track of businesses world-wide, and it is a requirement of many global, trade and industry associations.

In addition, we are members of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the globally recognisable association for genealogists and heir hunters, and we are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for our indemnity insurance business.

Avoiding Over-charging

Finders’ founder and managing director Daniel Curran said: “The heir hunting industry can attract unscrupulous companies and individuals who offer services such as ‘in-house’ probate administration, which can mean clients lose the independent oversight of the Lawyers Registration Authority and it can result in massive over-charging. Finders never handles your money at any time.

“Membership of PALS is very useful for Finders, as it adds to our credentials and substantiates our professionalism. This membership, along with our other accreditations, strengthens our claim that as a business we have the most ethical approach to heir hunting.”