Probate Administration Lawyer Victorville CA
Hedtke Law Offices of Victorville CA takes the time to educate our clients on the advantages and options available with Probate, Probate Avoidance, Estate & Probate Administration, and the Estate Planning process.
What is Probate?
Probate is a legal process that occurs after someone dies. It includes validating a will in court, identifying / inventorying / appraising the deceased person’s property, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining property as the will or law directs. Get probate solution from our expert probate attorney Victorville CA.
Probate Avoidance
Probate is the court process by which a person’s last will and testament is administered, creditors are paid, and assets are finally distributed to the decedent’s named beneficiaries. If the decedent died without a will (“intestate”), statutes provide an order of preference for relatives of the decedent who will be considered the decedent’s beneficiaries. Most clients choose to avoid probate for the following reasons:
Expense Probates are expensive. Because the statutes set forth a structured sequence of events that must be completed before the estate can be settled, lawyers have little discretion as to how the proceeding should be conducted. Even the simplest probate proceedings can cost as much as $5,000. Complicated estates can cost in excess of $100,000. As a guideline, estates facing probate should assume 3% to 5% of the estate will be paid to attorneys in legal fees. This cost should be compared to the relatively small costs associated with establishing a revocable living trust. Get probate assistance from our Probate lawyer Victorville CA.
Time Probates take a substantial amount of time to complete. In a best case scenario probate could take six months to complete. On average, we find the process usually takes between 9 and 12 months. Generally, access to assets during the pendency of a probate is substantially restricted, and all distributions require court approval. Conversely, successor trustees in a revocable trust have access to assets immediately upon the death of the decedent and can manage the assets without the necessity of court supervision.
Private Matter Most people do not realize that a probate proceeding is no different than any other civil proceeding in a court of law. At any time, anyone can request the court clerk to retrieve the probate file and inspect its contents. Documents included in the file are the will, a petition for probate listing all of the decedent’s heirs to the second degree, a complete inventory of all of the decedent’s assets, and documents bringing to the court’s attention any other matters that require court attention. Generally, clients prefer to use revocable living trusts to keep their affairs private.
Get a probate lawyer in Victorville CA from Hedtke Law Group. Call us to get free legal consultation.
Experienced Guidance Through Probate
Having to go through probate while grieving the loss of a loved one can be tremendously difficult. The process is unfamiliar to most people, and it can be complex. When you are guided by a trusted professional, you can be confident that you can handle your loved one’s affairs effectively and efficiently.
We can help effectively guide you through the estate administration process and ensure that you are able to fulfill all of your responsibilities as a personal representative for your loved one’s estate.
We begin by conducting an in-depth assessment of the situation so that we can begin to chart a path forward. By starting out in the right direction, we can save you time, money and stress. Our experienced guidance can also help insulate you from the possibility that your conduct will be called into question.
A Comprehensive Approach To Probate
Too often we have seen cases where major probate issues were missed because of a piecemeal approach to probate. Rather than focusing on individual problems as they arise, we work to ensure that the course we take will resolve all of the issues present in the probate of your loved one’s estate.
Here To Help You And Your Family
At Hedtke Law APC, in Victorville, CA, our firm brings the benefit of more than a decade of experience guiding people through the probate process. We provide compassionate guidance and understanding of the difficulty of dealing with several different life changing events at one time, knowing that the loss of your loved one may in itself be overwhelming. We can assist with all probate-related issues including, inventorying of the estate, settling debts, disbursement of assets and property and any other issues that need to be dealt with.