Start-up using AI to speed up probate process

A Manchester-based legal start-up is using AI to speed up and simplify the process of managing the estates of people who have died.

My Probate Solicitors (MPS) has claimed that its service is offering “unique reassurance” to clients by having qualified lawyers complete the work for a fixed fee.

Chief operating officer Jean Warde described the system as a positive contrast with other mostly unregulated firms in the sector.

She added that at its heart was a bespoke AI platform named Xeena which is able to drastically reduce the time taken to prepare probate applications.

“Administering the estates of those who have died is very important but time-consuming and not terribly straightforward.

“Any delay in making a probate application can, of course, hold up the execution of a will. Furthermore, if the process is not done properly, there can be serious consequences for those acting on behalf of the deceased.

“Our fundamental objective is to supercharge the probate process, making it as simple and fast as possible for clients.

“By harnessing the very latest technology, we will prepare the necessary documents for checking by our solicitors and have them submitted within six weeks. In fact, we are so sure of our ability to do so that we’re prepared to write off our fees if we fail.

“We genuinely believe that there is no other firm around offering transparent, fixed-fee probate work with our combination of speed and expertise.”

Probate is the name given to the process by which executors or administrators are given formal authority to carry out the task of distributing a dead person’s estate, whether or not a will has been made.

It is typically required if the total value of the deceased’s assets, including property, shares or savings exceeds the Probate Registry threshold of £50,000.

Although led by Warde, MPS is backed by the team behind one of the country’s leading boutique law firms, Private Client Solicitors.

Founded by managing partner Tasnim Khalid in 2021, PCS’ client list features many of the North West’s wealthiest individuals and most notable entrepreneurs.

Although MPS and PCS are distinct operations, Mrs Warde said that MPS’s clients would benefit from the combined decades of experience amassed by the senior leadership team of both businesses.

She added that MPS was also able to handle certain tasks, such as trust drafting and property transfers, for will writers and estate planners who were not legally qualified to undertake the work themselves.

Warde said: “Not all estates are large or complex. Yet even though the law which governs all estates is the same, there hasn’t previously been an effective, fixed-fee probate solution for those lower value estates. My Probate Solicitors has been specifically created to address that issue.
“Our agility and extensive expertise will be of great comfort to both our corporate and private clients alike.

“In fact, we are so confident of the potential of what we are able to offer that we reasonably believe we can become the leading provider of reserved legal activities to the estate planning business community in England and Wales.”