Probate Lawyer
After a person dies, his or her estate has to go through probate. It has a reputation for being a time-consuming process. However, you can take steps to make it go faster.
Here are some tips to speed up the probate process.
Learn About Your Responsibilities As an Executor
As an executor of an estate, you are responsible for handling the probate process. At first, the process can be quite confusing and overwhelming. That is why you should take the time to learn about the duties you are responsible for. This way, you will be more prepared for probate and can complete it in a shorter amount of time.
Begin Probate Soon
It is very difficult to lose a loved one, and you need enough time to grieve. However, you should not put off the probate process for too long. The longer you wait to begin probate, the longer it will take to finalize. If you delay the process, issues may be more likely to arise.
Give Proper Notice
After someone has died, the executor has to notify all creditors and beneficiaries about probate. It is important to do this as soon as possible. If you don’t send out a notice in a timely fashion, it can delay the probate process.
Obtain Death Certificates
Before you can freeze assets and begin probate, you have to obtain death certificates. You are required to give a death certificate to every institution where the deceased had assets. Obtaining death certificates quickly will help reduce the waiting time between handling assets.
Gather Information About the Estate
As you are waiting to collect the death certificates, it is a wise move to learn as many details as possible about the estate. For example, you may want to write down all potential assets and liabilities and account numbers for them. If you do this ahead of time, you may be able to speed up probate.
Don’t Miss Deadlines
If you are the executor of an estate, you will have to meet several deadlines. If you do not file documents by deadline, you will just delay the probate process. You may also have to file additional tax returns and have more court dates.
Hire an Experienced Lawyer
Although you’re not required to hire a lawyer to begin the probate process, it is in your best interest to do so. Probate can be a complicated and stressful process, so it is beneficial to have someone knowledgeable and experienced on your side. A probate lawyer can guide you through the entire process and make things less stressful. He or she has dealt with probate many other times with previous clients and knows exactly what to expect. Your lawyer can shorten the probate process and prevent you from making mistakes.
If you need assistance with the probate process, you may want to schedule a meeting with a probate lawyer from Carpenter & Lewis PLLC as soon as possible.
