Practice
Probate and estate administration
For the executor who has just been handed the folder. We take the estate one phase at a time, with a flat fee for each, quoted before it starts.
Probate is the court-supervised process of proving the will, paying the debts and passing on what's left. Most of it is paperwork and waiting: notices, an inventory, accounts and deadlines that run for months.
We tell you what each phase involves, do the filings, and keep a running list of what's done and what's next, so you're never guessing.
What we handle
Qualifying the executor at the clerk's office
Notices to heirs and beneficiaries
The inventory of the estate
The accounts, and closing the estate
Help with the house, the car and the bank accounts
Step by step
An estate, phase by phase
- 01
Step 1: Qualifying
We prepare the paperwork and go with you to qualify as executor or administrator.
- 02
Step 2: Notices and the inventory
We send the required notices and list what the estate owns, with values.
- 03
Step 3: Debts, taxes and accounts
We pay what's owed in the right order and file the accounts on time.
- 04
Step 4: Distribution and closing
Receipts from each beneficiary, the final account, and the estate closed.
Questions
Questions about this plan
How long does probate take?
Even a simple estate usually takes several months to a year or more. Most of that is waiting on deadlines for creditors and taxes, not work you'll have to do.
What if there's no will?
The estate still goes through the court, and an administrator is appointed instead of an executor. State law then decides who inherits. We can help with either.
Do I have to pay the estate's costs myself?
No. Court fees, the probate tax and our fee are paid from the estate. We'll tell you up front what each phase costs.
Talk through the estate in front of you
Tell us what you have and who you want to look after. You'll leave the call with a written flat-fee quote, and no obligation to use it.
The first call is free and doesn't make us your lawyers; an engagement letter does.