How do I find out if someone left a will?

Start by asking close family members, the funeral director or the deceased's known lawyer, bank or accountant, since wills are often kept with a solicitor, a trustee company, the Public Trust or in a safe at home. If the will has already been probated, you can search the High Court's probate records, since a grant of probate becomes a public record and the will is generally available to view once probate has been granted. If you believe you may have been a beneficiary or have a claim, you can write to the person believed to be the executor asking whether you were provided for. If probate has not yet been applied for, there is no public register in advance, so your options are more limited until an application is filed.