What the first conversation is for

The first conversation does not open an inheritance file and it is not a legal-services agreement. It is there to see three things: where the inheritance opened, which living relatives have already come forward, and which documents are already in hand.

A general account is enough. The date of death, the country where the person last lived, and whether the question is a flat, a house, an account, or a share in a company, already draw the map. Account numbers, a scan of a passport, and the full text of a will do not belong in the form on this website. They are looked at after it is agreed who will work on the file, and on what terms.

The conversation usually shows whether the six months are still running. An extra period for acceptance depends on the facts and on the grounds the statute names. With the other heirs’ consent it can sometimes be done without a court. The conversation does not promise that a deadline will be restored or that a will will be set aside. When the work itself starts, three documents are required, and the subject and the limits of authority match in each. The client and Dublon sign a comprehensive support agreement: the services, the cost, the terms, Dublon’s liability for the agreed scope, including organising the advocate’s work, and consent to engage an advocate. Dublon and the advocate sign an advocacy-assistance agreement naming the heir. Part 4 of Article 27 of the Law of Ukraine on the Bar and Practice of Law allows that agreement to be signed by another person in the client’s interest. It states the advocate’s duties and that there is no separate honorarium. The advocate’s professional duties to the heir remain the advocate’s. The client issues a power of attorney to the advocate for the listed acts only. The power of attorney supplements the advocacy agreement and does not replace it. In a civil court the advocate may also confirm authority with an order. An order and a power of attorney on the same subject are not required together as a rule. Scope, deliverable, exclusions, payment stages and external costs are recorded in the comprehensive agreement before that work starts. The form on this website is not any of these documents.