1. HANDLING OVER OF INHERITANCE MATTERS TO NOTARIES
EVALUATION OF THE REFORM
2003 – 2013
By sworn notary INDULIS SERMUKSNIS
Ex post analysis of the Parliament’s decision in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia,
the 20th of September, 2013

2. SUBORDINATION OF INHERITANCE MATTERS
COURTS
UNTIL
SWORN NOTARIES
SINCE

3. EX POST EVALUATION OF THE REFORM
CRITERIA
Constitutionality
Admissibility
Efficiency
Effectiveness
Usefulness
Timely control
Development perspective

4. MAIN BENEFITS OF THE REFORM
FASTER AND MORE ACCESSIBLE PROCESS OF THE INHERITANCE MATTERS
COURTS ARE RELIEVED AND THEIR CAPACITY INCREASED
EXAMINATION OF CASES IS FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT
CASE PROCESS IS MORE CONVENIENT AND ACCESSIBLE
ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM AND REGISTER ARE UNIFIED
SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OF EXPENSES FOR THE COURT SYSTEM AND THE SOCIETY

5. INCREASE OF COURTS’ CAPACITY
Every year courts were relieved from inheritance cases
From 2003 to (1st half) sworn notaries handled inheritance cases

6. INHERITANCE CASES HANDLED BY NOTARIES 2003 – 2013 (1st half)

7. AVERAGE TIME OF CASE EXAMINATION
CITY COURTS OF LATVIA
8,5 MONTH
SWORN NOTARIES
3,5 MONTH

8. ACCESSIBILITY OF THE PROCESS
CITY COURTS OF LATVIA 34
SWORN NOTARIES
113
68 assistants
Consults the client
Requires documents on behalf of the client
Takes care of the land registry

9. INHERITANCE REGISTRY Created in 2004
Maintained and served by the Chamber of Sworn Notaries of Latvia
inheritance matters
Makes it easy to follow progress of a case
Provides for common statistics

10. FINANCIAL BENEFIT FOR THE COURT SYSTEM*
2003 – 2013
LVL
ANNUAL COST SAVINGS
LVL
* Institute of Economics, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 2013

11. FINANCIAL BENEFIT FOR THE SOCIETY*
2003 – 2013
LVL
ANNUAL COST SAVINGS
LVL
* Institute of Economics, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 2013

12. PRO BONO SERVICES PROVIDED BY NOTARIES
2003 – 2013
LVL
REFERENCES ISSUED BY THE
INHERITANCE REGISTER
CREATION, MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE INHERITANCE REGISTER

13. = CONCLUSIONS Notaries as specialists of inheritance matters
Qualitative inheritance law
Forward-looking legislator’s decision
Results correspond to the objective of the adopted legislation =
FASTER! EASIER! CHEAPER!

14. Good cause triumphs