MrInheritance.com
I'm now collecting inheritance horror stories worldwide!
Send yours confidentially to stories@MrInheritance.com
I'm now collecting inheritance horror stories worldwide!
Send yours confidentially to stories@MrInheritance.com
Email me direct at richard@MrInheritance.com
I'm a retired London barrister (Middle Temple 1982-2009; changed surname from Astor to Szrabe in 2011). Here you'll find some of my reflections and comments on juridical inheritance, and some inheritance horror stories I'm collecting. This site will take some time to fill up: I started it Jan 1, 2026.
Why not check out some of my other inheritance-related projects:-
MrRigorous.pro: a relaxed consulting firm offering regular folks pro bono and realistic fixed-fee services on inheritance problems.
MHNA Inheritance Crime, aka InheritanceCrime.com, a deadly serious consulting firm specialising in guess what. The site has a lot to say on this universal vice. I'm on the case.
Anatexis.media: various books, multimedia and events including one on inheritance crime and another on accounting and auditing in inheritance crime. I've got the subject covered.
TheInheritanceChannel.com: a global multimedia startup on inheritance, including juridical inheritance, genetics, genealogy, culture and planet. The whole dang subject, dang it.
TERMINOLOGY
'probate' properly refers only to the process of proving a will. Of course Americans, being technically and generally illiterate, abuse the word and it now means whatever they want it to mean. 'Probate court' will confuse you to death.
'trustee of a will': no such thing. A will is not a trust. Stop it! (A completely different thing: a will might happen to contain a trust deed. Then you can talk about the trustee(s) of that 'will trust'. Nor am I presently interested in an estate manager (see below) being akin to a trustee. Let's keep it technical.)
'executrix', 'administratrix': however appropriate — some female estate managers are indeed very tricky — it's time to stop stupidly using stupid Latin.
'estate manager': this is my generic term for ad col grantee, executor, interim administrator, full administrator, etc. Incredible we don't have an established generic term. (Incredible too that English does not have a word to describe a dishonest person. I use 'dishonester'; hence 'dishonestee'.)
'power-attorney': this is my generic term for an attorney appointed by a power of attorney. Incredible etc.
'inheritance theft': don't use it except to refer to an offense formally so called. Such offenses are extremely rare. (Can you name the jurisdictions?)
'inheritance hijacking': a reprehensible term if there is no such offense. (There is no such offense on any statute book anywhere on the planet, so far as I have been able to ascertain.) So the fancy-pants FOS lawyer now has to find a real offense. Run.
DISINHERITANCE
Various jurisdictions vouchsafe some classes of heir an inheritance whatever the deceased's wishes. I think that is despicable, and do what I can in my various consulting practices to properly circumvent it. If a testator wants to lawfully properly effectually disinherit someone, that's what will happen.
INHERITANCE CRIME
In my personal and professional experience, much inheritance crime is perpetrated by amateur and professional estate managers, especially lawyers (especially, by a long way, female lawyers). And by the victim heir's own lawyers, especially self-professed specialists. These are specialist professional criminals. Check out https://www.inheritancecrime.com.
I'll be covering selected juridical inheritance stories reported in the press.