Ashworth & Hale Jewellers

The Problem#

• Solicitors send estate jewellery for probate valuation, and Ashworth & Hale return a PDF listing each item with description, condition, and value
• The solicitor then manually re-keys every figure from the PDF into their case management system and onto the IHT400
• A typical estate jewellery valuation contains 15–30 items — each value re-typed, each transcription creating an error risk
• The firm completes approximately 600 valuations per year, generating thousands of individual values that are transcribed by hand
• Rounded figures in PDFs occasionally introduce ambiguity — was that £1,200 or £1,250?

How They’d Use INHERIT#

• Each valued item is an asset.json entry with category: "jewellery_watches" and a subcategory such as "engagement ring", "necklace", or "watch"
• Valuations are structured using valuation.json with providerType: "professional_valuer", method: "expert_opinion", and valuationPurpose: "date_of_death" for probate or "insurance" for replacement cover
• The valuerRegistration object records professional credentials — body: "NAJ" (National Association of Jewellers), membershipId, and designation
• Monetary values use common/money.json in minor currency units (pence), eliminating rounding ambiguity
• Photographs attach via common/media.json with mediaType: "image/jpeg" and purpose indicating the documentation context
• Where an item has both a date-of-death value and an insurance replacement value, two separate valuation.json entries reference the same entityId

The Integration#

• Export-focused: Ashworth & Hale generates INHERIT-formatted valuation reports alongside their traditional PDF letters
• Solicitors import the structured data directly into their case management systems — the PDF continues to serve as the human-readable document for the client and HMRC
• Minimal development effort required, as the data already exists in their valuation software and simply needs a structured export

The Business Case#

• 600 valuations per year returned in structured format, eliminating re-keying entirely
• Solicitor clients collectively save approximately 175 hours of paralegal time annually — roughly 15–20 minutes per valuation
• The structured output differentiator is expected to increase referrals by 15–20%, representing approximately £45,000 in additional annual revenue
• Solicitors prefer valuers who return data they can import directly — competitive advantage at near-zero adoption cost

Before / After#

Without INHERIT:

1. Solicitor sends estate jewellery to Ashworth & Hale for valuation
2. Valuers examine, photograph, and assess each piece
3. Ashworth & Hale produces a PDF valuation letter listing 15–30 items
4. Solicitor receives the PDF and manually re-keys every value into their case management system
5. Solicitor transcribes the same figures onto the IHT400
6. Transcription errors go unnoticed until HMRC queries the return — weeks or months later

With INHERIT:

1. Solicitor sends estate jewellery to Ashworth & Hale for valuation
2. Valuers examine, photograph, and assess each piece
3. Ashworth & Hale exports structured valuation.json entries alongside the PDF letter
4. Solicitor imports the INHERIT data directly — values flow into the case management system and IHT400 with no re-keying