Probate Attorney
What is Probate?
Probate is the process of validating a will and reviewing someone’s estate after they pass away. Probate seeks to understand an estate better and ensure that assets are being passed on to the correct heirs. Probate can sometimes be a lengthy process that also has been known to cause strife with families or close friends. This is due to wills being contested in court during probate when different people think they are entitled to parts of the estate and other related issues. Having experienced legal counsel who deals in probate is especially useful to ensure that the process is free from headaches and gets finished in a shorter amount of time.
Probate Attorneys
Probate attorneys understand all of the different facets of probate law and the accompanying process of an estate going through probate. With their skills and experience, they also know which documents will be needed to complete the probate. Without the assistance of this type of attorney, a family or close friend may be having to take care of all of these documents and other issues that can come up with probate themselves. There may also be outstanding debts that the decedent owes to various entities. Your probate attorney can help settle these debts in the best way possible and offer their advice at every step of the probate process.
Things to Ask a Probate Attorney
There are quite a few important things to ask a probate attorney. For example, some useful questions could be:
- How long they have practiced probate law or helped clients with the probate process.
- Whether they have experience with large estates or small estates.
- The courts and judges that they have experience with.
- The overall time it generally takes them to complete the process of probate.
- What corresponding documents, financial details, or proof of assets are needed.
These are just some of the more useful questions that can be asked to a probate attorney. There may be other relevant questions to your circumstances that can also be asked. While it is not mandatory to have a probate attorney complete the probate process on your behalf or to offer their guidance there is no doubt that it makes the situation significantly easier. Consider reaching out to one if you or a loved one are in need of some legal guidance regarding probate.