We lost our will from 25 years ago. What can we do?
We had a will made about 25 years ago and have since lost our copy. We don't remember the lawyers name and when we went to where we thought the office was,not there. Would that will have been filed in court house so we could find it?
Expert Answer
You have lost your will, which you made twenty-five years ago.It is unlikely"”I'd say highly unlikely"”that your will would have been filed in your local (county) courthouse. Normally, wills are not filed with any government agency after they have been prepared. Wills are generally filed only after the will writer dies, as part of a probate proceeding.
Further, a will prepared twenty-five years ago may no longer reflect your current desires and situation. In any case, because you do not have your old will, you need to prepare a new one. Doing that need not be an onerous process. There are a number of excellent self-help resources which enable people to prepare their own wills, without needing a lawyer. One of the very best is Nolo Press, which provides several products enabling people to prepare their wills by themselves. (I am an author at Nolo Press,and have worked on their will products.) Check out their website at Nolo.com.