Ashfords advises heir hunting business on obtaining primary authority partnership

Law firm Ashfords LLP has advised ‘heir hunter’ Finders International to become reportedly the first business of its kind to secure a Primary Authority partnership.

Ashfords’ Regulatory and Compliance (ARC) assisted the company on the arrangements with the London Borough of Hackney.

A Primary Authority is a legally recognised partnership with a single local authority (or primary authority) to help facilitate regulatory compliance. Businesses receive assured and tailored advice on meeting their regulatory obligations from their Primary Authority that other local regulators must respect. 

Primary Authority reduces inconsistency and duplication and prevents other authorities from challenging a business on their actions whilst also setting out a specific route for challenging the advice, Ashfords said.

The law firm added that by securing the Primary Authority partnership Finders International hoped “to become compliance leaders in their industry”, with heir tracing currently unregulated.

Clare Forbes of Ashfords said: “It can be difficult for businesses to navigate trading standards law and protect themselves against the effects of unscrupulous traders in the industry, but we hope this partnership and Finders’ commitment to compliance and trust will reinforce their good reputation.”

Danny Curran, Founder and Managing Director of Finders International, said: “Working with the team at Ashfords and the London Borough of Hackney has been a pleasure. Once we understood the implications of a successful partnership, there was no doubt in my mind that we needed to proceed.

“We work extensively with sometimes elderly beneficiaries and anything we can do to reassure them that we are a genuine company becomes a top priority for me. We have been leading the way in our industry for many years in raising standards and the link to Trading Standards via this partnership will help us draw on an established and effective means of meeting business regulations, allowing us greater confidence in protecting ourselves and our customers.”