Safe Custody Documents

Release of Safe Custody Documents

Our clients’ privacy and documentation is very important to us and a fundamental part of the work we do for our clients. To ensure the confidentiality and security of the documents we are holding in safe custody, we have procedures that we follow diligently before being able to provide clients, family members and other law firms with information and documents from our safe custody.

Our procedures and requirements to release information and documents from our safe custody are as follows:

• To protect our clients’ confidentiality and privacy, our support staff are unable to provide information regarding documents we are holding in safe custody over the phone. If information is required over the phone, a time will need to be arranged to speak to a solicitor so that we can identify who we are speaking with and whether information can be provided over the phone. It may be necessary to schedule a zoom meeting or face to face meeting with the caller so that we can verify identity before providing any information;
• Collection of documents from our office is by prior appointment only with a minimum of 1 business day advanced notice of the appointment. We are unable to release documents unless we are able to sight photo identification in the form of a current driver’s licence or passport and are able to make a copy for our records. If a person who is entitled to the documents is unable to attend at our office, we will then require a signed authority from that person authorising the collection of the documents by the person attending at our office accompanied by a certified copy of the passport or driver’s licence of the person who has signed the authority; and
• We are only able to send safe custody documents to other law firms upon receipt of a signed authority, certified copy of the driver’s licence or passport of the signatories to the authority and if the signatories are executors of a deceased estate, evidence of death of our client. We also request as a courtesy that the firm requesting the documents provides a self-addressed A4 express post envelope.

Please note that professional and administrative charges and disbursements may apply for time spent in providing information and certified copies of documents to clients, family members and other advisers.

Please contact Connie Parsons in our office with any questions relating to safe custody documents.