Solicitor not communicating with beneficiary and holding onto estate.

[paddyhaig]

My mother passed away whilst I was living and working overseas, and seemingly left her estate 'Intestate' (No will was found) My younger brother grabbed up her paperwork (Stocks, shares, deeds) and went to a local solicitors office. He hired a solicitor to 'manage' the estate. (I objected to his choice of solicitor, however he ignored my objections). The solicitor he hired suggested we both be made 'Administrators'. (We were not made aware of our options or obligations) I was living and working abroad at the time, so I had to quickly hire a UK solicitor to act as my 'Power Of Attorney', and that solicitor then signed the 'Letters of Administration', shared with my brother. My solicitor signing his name, acting (for the use and benefit of 'my name, limited until further representation be granted.) The estate solicitor hired by my brother had left it up to my brother to keep me informed. (I also wasn't happy with this) This my brother proceeded to do by offering me platitudes, and just letting me know exactly what I guess he believed I needed to know. (The solicitors I hired seemed to have little genuine motivation in perusing and maintaining my interests. Almost like the were running the meter, but not going anywhere. My brother was often quite unclear and evasive in his communications when queried. If my solicitors queried him over the slightest matter he would give them the run around and they seemed to be fine with that, I can only guess because it put more money in their pockets. He was also living in an estate property, that he had prior been paying rent to my mother for. The estate solicitor he hired allowed him to sell off all the chattels and retain the proceeds from those sales, and also live rent free for 'three and a half years', without my expressed permission. Apparently, these matters would be accounted for at the final distribution. This allowed my brother to live in un_agreed comfort, whilst he fought a protracted battle with myself and my solicitors, obstructing and making matters difficult and cost prohibitive at every juncture. These pre_distributions as I see it, also supplying him with significant sums of cash to pay for further legal assistance. Non of the estate I had seen or had even been offered. The estate solicitor making all the estate concessions seemingly in my brothers favor. Serving my brothers interests over and above his other benefactors and Administrators (My brother and I being the only benefactors). The estate has now come to the final distribution stage 43 months after the passing of my mother, and it seems the estate solicitor will not communicate with me, despite the fact that I am a legal benefactor and also inadvertently an Administrator through my POA. (And no, I haven't at any point been rude.) My POA after my disappointment at his ability to challenge my brother, and my solicitors inordinate expenses for doing the most trivial of tasks, eventually, was fired then re-engaged specifically just to sign off on matters as my PUA in leiu of myself being present. I was unfortunately stuck with him as a POA. Having the estate accounts and other factors changed and removing him as a POA, was going to be exceedingly expensive and unpractical. My brother has sent me a copy of the final distribution account that he's been asked to agree upon. The are a number of matters that are and have not been addressed properly. I've tried to communicate these details with the estate solicitor, however she is not replying. They are holding onto the estate, and I seemingly cannot do anything about it. My POA has also not contacted me. I also feel that I cannot make a decision on the final estate distribution, even if I was asked to. As I would like to possess a copy of the entire case file from the estate solicitor in order to assist with that decision. Where do I stand legally? Can I insist on that case file being made accessible to me, so that I might check for the validity of the figures and it's correctness, and what written dialogs were gone into between my brother and the estate solicitor? Do I have to pay further money by chasing down my POA solicitor to have them make further inquiries into MY final distribution agreement? This has been such an uphill fight against the solicitors hired by my brother and also my poor quality POA solicitors. Please can someone advise and assist. I'd like to just free up the money from the estate solicitors hands, whilst I build my case up against her, using information obtained from the estate solicitors file. I know for a fact, from what I can see in the final estate amounts, that a number of items have been omitted. It would also seem that the estate solicitor has presented hurdle after hurdle, and been extremely tardy in anything she has been asked for. It's like she's been deliberately holding onto the money. Please can someone help me?