Decedent's Estates

We handle the administration and distribution of money and property held by someone at time of their death.

We handle probate administration and litigation, the process by which the will is approved by the probate court. Probate means affirming the will as the last will, administering the estate, and distributing the money.

If you have been appointed the executor of someone’s will, we can help you carry out your duties. The deceased does not have to have been a client prior to their death. We do not need to have created the will to be the ones to probate it. 

If you were left in charge of the estate (named in the will or trust), you will need an attorney to help you administer the estate. It is a very complex process that will go much faster by working with professionals.

Estate administration is highly technical. It is very complicated to do on your own, and is not uncommon for it to last at least a year. When someone challenges the will, it gets even more complicated.

The process will go faster and more smoothly if you work with professionals who have experience in this. Our experienced attorneys can help you navigate this process in as efficient and cost-effective manner as possible.

Depending on what assets are left, there may be different work to executing the will. Some examples may be:

Simple probate of a will:

Someone dies with some interest in a home and some money, and leaves it to her children in a will. An attorney would probate the will (file it with a court with a petition). The executor of the will would be appointed, then gather up all the assets the person had. Make sure all creditors of the estate are paid what they are owed, all bills paid, then petition the court for distribution of what’s left of the estate to the people named in the will as beneficiaries.

Distributing Trusts

If someone has a revocable trust, and property in the trust – then the attorney works with the successive trustee. The trustee collects up all assets and distributes the trust according to the trust’s instructions.