At Finders International, we’re proud of the work we do – helping solicitors, public sector teams, and private individuals resolve the legal complexities of estate administration through expert probate research. But when it comes to explaining our jobs to those outside the industry, the responses can be… well, interesting.
We recently asked our team to share some of the reactions they get when they tell people they work in probate genealogy. Here’s what they had to say – and if nothing else, it shows just how niche and fascinating our line of work is.
“A few times over the years: ‘Oh, so you study rocks?’ Always my fave!”
Yes, “genealogist” and “geologist” do sound quite similar… but no, we’re not here to analyse granite. That said, we can trace a family back to 1850 faster than you can identify a mineral sample!
“This response 99% of the time: ‘Can you find me some money then?”
Understandably, people’s ears perk up at the thought of unclaimed inheritances. While we do sometimes deliver good news about unknown entitlements, we also work on many lower-value estates and even pro bono cases.
As Amy Cox from our Public Sector team points out, “People assume we wouldn’t bother unless there was money in it for us, but actually we work a lot of pro bono and low-value cases.”
“Yes, there was a TV show about that!”
It’s true – there’s growing public awareness of our work thanks to television. Programmes like Heir Hunters have brought our profession into living rooms across the UK. As Ryan Gregory from our International team adds, “Sometimes I decide whether to tell them I was in it, or not.” (Spoiler: he was.) Most people find the job really, interesting, whether they’ve heard of it or not.
And that’s the heart of it. Once people understand what probate researchers actually do – unravelling family histories, navigating complex legal frameworks, sometimes tracking heirs across the globe – they’re genuinely intrigued. As Ryan puts it, “There is a larger part of what we do not covered by ‘probate’ or ‘genealogy’, and that’s the detective work – often the most interesting and challenging.”
“I don’t do case work (as you know!) but whenever I’ve interviewed people to join the admin team, they’ve told me this is the first time they’ve heard about probate genealogy. They’ve had no idea such a field of work exists.”
It’s a common theme. Many people outside of legal or public sector circles have never heard of probate research, let alone realise it’s a full-time profession. And yet, our work is critical in ensuring estates are passed to the correct heirs, often when no will exists or family connections are unclear.
So, while our profession may still be a mystery to many, one thing is certain: probate research is more than just dusty records and old family trees. It’s part legal support, part forensic investigation, and part people-work – and every case tells a story.
If you’ve never heard of it before, now you have. And if you ever need to trace an heir, resolve a family dispute, or identify a next of kin, you know where to find us.