Knowing that a loved one chose you to carry out their final wishes by appointing you as their personal representative is a distinctive honor and sign of their deep trust. However, it also leaves you facing a challenging legal process after their death.
Most personal representatives do not have law degrees, but they are tasked with directing a complex legal process with much at stake. Instead of navigating probate and estate administration in Easttown alone, call ThePeoplesLawFirm.com for experienced legal guidance from Pennsylvania probate attorneys throughout the process.
Why Choose ThePeoplesLawFirm.com for Your Easttown Estate Administration Case?
Even an honest error can leave you personally and financially responsible when you’re managing a deceased loved one’s estate during probate. By hiring an Easttown estate administration and probate attorney, you have the following advantages:
- An attorney with over 26 years of experience behind you
- An entire legal staff working to assist you through the probate process with meticulous attention to filing and paperwork details
- An attorney dedicated to professional excellence and compassionate client advocacy, who understands the importance of carrying out a loved one’s wishes
Attorney Michaelangelo L. Dippolito offers a free phone consultation, allowing you to learn more about how an estate administration and probate lawyer in Easttown can assist with the unique circumstances of your case.
Who Handles Probate After a Death?
When an individual creates their will or estate plan, they typically name a personal representative, often a trusted family member. This is the person who becomes the administrator of their estate after their death, with the responsibility of managing the probate process.
If a person dies without a will, the court appoints an estate administrator. Often, a family member volunteers for the process, and the court approves the request.
What Does Probate Involve In Pennsylvania?
Probate facilitates an orderly transfer of property to the beneficiaries after a death. This isn’t always a straightforward process, even when it involves a small estate; however, it quickly becomes challenging for large estates with diverse assets or those with significant debts.
Probate typically begins soon after the funeral, requiring the decedent’s will and several certified copies of their death certificate. Then, the estate administrator must do the following:
- File the will with the county’s Will Register Office
- File a petition to open probate with the county’s probate court (sometimes referred to as “Orphans’ Court”)
- Pay the probate filing fee (the amount is based on the value of the estate)
- Wait for the probate court to issue an authorization letter
- Notify the beneficiaries, tax authorities, and creditors of the opening of probate
- Notify the public to alert any additional creditors (typically through the newspaper)
- Take a complete inventory of the estate to list all assets and debts
- Periodically update the court on the process
- Pay all debts against the estate and fulfill the tax obligation, generally through the means detailed in the will, sometimes requiring the sale of property
Once the debts and taxes have been paid, the estate administrator distributes the remainder of the estate to the beneficiaries according to the direction of the will.
What If There Is No Will for My Loved One’s Estate In Easttown?
When a person dies without a will, Pennsylvania’s intestacy succession laws determine who inherits through a hierarchy of inheritance that begins with the spouse.
Once the court appoints a close family member as a personal representative for the estate, it issues letters of administration allowing the appointee to manage the estate administration and probate process.
Contact ThePeoplesLawFirm.com for Legal Guidance From an Easttown Estate Administration and Probate Attorney
When your loved one places you in a position of trust, you understand the importance of completing a challenging process as smoothly as possible, minimizing the potential for delays, conflicts, and errors.
Contact an Easttown estate administration and probate lawyer at ThePeoplesLawFirm.com for legal counsel to achieve the most efficient and effective probate process.
