I am advising on a Will (testator deceased) that appoints the directors ‘…in the Company X Ltd…or the firm which has succeed to and carries on its practice…’ as executors.
Company X was intervened by the SRA and was closed down as a regulated law firm. However, the company still exists (although it has changed its name to Company Y Ltd).
The Wills are now with another law firm, as a result of the intervention. There is nothing to suggest that the law firm who holds the Wills is entitled to act.
But what about clearing off Company Y? Can they simply be cleared off because they are not regulated and therefore not entitled to act?
Not my bag - however s.50 of the Administration of Justice Act 1985 can be used to remove the company via the courts. Which i assume is what youre callng “cleared off”?
Im sure one of the clever probate lawyers on this forum may comment further on removing executors.
In the “good old days” I think I would have dealt with this by drafting a s116 application to pass over the company’s right to the grant and sent this to the DPR with a letter of explanation setting out the facts of the matter and taken it from there. It might still be worth trying, especially if you have a suitable professional waiting in the wings to act as PR, but goodness knows how long it will take to deal with in the brave new world of online probate applications.