When you have a family member who has passed away and left behind a Will, you will need to go through a probate court process. It is a process wherein the deceased person’s estates get distributed to a single or different beneficiary. You should know that the process can be complicated, especially when it is your first time encountering it.
Fortunately, probate lawyers can help out clients who do not understand the process, legal terminologies, and everything about it. Some people think that they are better off without a probate lawyer because they can learn it themselves. If you prefer not to hire one, you can find several reasons that can change your mind.
- Drafting a Will Professionally
Others turn to the internet and look for DIY drafts to create their Will. They do not know that there are consequences when you blindly follow a draft that could become a massive problem for your heirs and during a probate court process. Luckily, hiring a probate lawyer ensures that your Will is done perfectly and that your wishes are followed.
- Obtain Probate Effectively
Before you can access your deceased family member’s estate, you need to get a Grant of Probate. A personal representative or executor of the Will needs to register to the courts for the legal documents. Note that acquiring probate is not as easy as you think, so looking for professional probate lawyers is the best option you have at getting one right away.
Obtaining probate will let you go through unfamiliar legal procedures that will confuse any inexperienced person. Also, consider that most complex estates may be susceptible to disputes that can further lengthen the process. A probate lawyer will be responsible for handling those legal procedures and ensure you get them without a fuss.
Tip #3: Save Valuable Time for the Executor
Expect that you will use up most of your time liquidating and gathering the estate’s assets, paying bills, safeguarding records, and creating lists of creditors. That is where a probate lawyer comes in and helps you save time in making the probate court process faster. The faster you finish the process, the faster you get to acquiring your deceased loved one’s estate.
Tip #4: Defend the Estate
What makes hiring a probate lawyer great is they keep the wishes of the deceased and the interests of their beneficiaries protected at all costs. Usually, legal claims are made after their deaths, and they are difficult to counter without proper legal experience and training. But since you have a probate lawyer, they can handle the claims against the estate.
They must handle those claims to lighten the load of the beneficiaries. The entire process may be too much to handle, especially since they are still grieving for their deceased family member.
Tip #5: Support the Beneficiaries
The heirs and executors usually have no idea about the probate court process, especially if it is their first time going through one. They might have questions or concerns about everything, so a probate lawyer must be present to answer and educate them. The better the probate lawyer you hire, the fewer chances of beneficiaries being confused about the different legal matters involved in the process.
It is best to hire professional probate lawyers because they know everything about the probate court process. They are your allies in ensuring your deceased loved one’s estate gets distributed to the right people.
