Law Library Articles
Top 10 Probate Articles
When Scrooge McDuck finally dies, his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie will definitely be thinking about who will get Scrooge’s massive fortune. Although the death of a loved one can be difficult to deal with, the process of distributing the deceased person’s estate can make matters even worse. The distribution can quickly lead to fighting within the family.
A legal process called probate ensures that the estate of the deceased person is distributed according to his will. Like many legal processes, the process of probate can be complicated and costly if you do not know what you are doing. The probate articles included in this Top 10 list serve as an introductory guide to this complex process.
1. Contested Wills or Probate Lawyers
When a person’s will enters into probate, the will’s authenticity is verified and the deceased’s estate is distributed according to it. If you want to contest the validity of a will during probate before the estate is distributed, then you should read this article.
2. Uniform Probate Code Lawyers
In some states, the Uniform Probate Code provides a way for the estate to be distributed without a will. This article goes over the basics of the Uniform Probate Code.
3. What to Do If You Have Been Disinherited
From Jamie Lee Curtis to Tori Spelling, the news is full of famous people who have been disinherited by their famous parents. Once it is clear that you were not included in the deceased’s will, it may seem impossible to get what you deserve. However, there are a number of ways to challenge your alleged disinheritance.
4. Will Contest Lawyers
Imagine that your deceased father’s gold-digging fourth wife helped him write a new will two days before he died that leaves everything to her. Even if that will seems valid on its face, a court may find the will to be invalid do to undue influence. If you think that a will is not valid, you need to read this article to learn how to contest it.
5. What Is Probate Estate?
A person’s estate is more than just their grand (or not so grand) residence. The term encompasses everything in their possession when they finally kick the bucket. This article covers all that you need to know about what constitutes an estate within the context of probate.
6. How Probate Works: A State Comparison
You may think about leaving very few assets behind as inheritance for others because you cannot take your worldly wealth with you to heaven. Another benefit of dying with a small estate is that it allows for an expedited probate process. You should read this article to find out if your state has an expedited probate process for smaller estates.
7. Who Can Initiate Probate?
When your wealthy great-uncle dies without any offspring, you and your siblings may be eager to have his estate distributed. Before that can happen, you need to figure out if you can initiate probate on your great uncle’s estate. This article can give you an idea as to who is legally allowed to initiate probate.
8. Pros and Cons of Avoiding Probate
Everybody loves instant gratification, which is why fast food and lottery scratch cards are popular. Therefore, many people prefer to skip seemingly lengthy legal processes, such as probate. If you are thinking about passing on probate to get to your inheritance quicker, then you need to read this article.
9. Probate Process
When a person dies in a movie, there is usually a very shocking and dramatic scene in which the dead person’s will is read to the beneficiaries. Before this scenario can happen in real life, the will must go through probate. This article takes you through the different steps of the probate process that leads to the dramatic moment of the reading of the will.
10. The Cost of Probate: A State Comparison
When you have lost a loved one, the last thing you may be thinking about is how much the process of dealing with the loss is costing you financially. Thus, it may be in your best interests to figure out now the cost of probate for your loved one’s estate. If you have an elderly loved one, you should read this article and start estimating the costs now.
