How to Probate a Will Without a Lawyer

How to probate a will without a lawyer

You might be asking yourself, "Can I probate a will without a lawyer?"

The simple answer is... yes! For the vast majority of probate cases, a lawyer is not required to probate a will. In fact, anyone can interact with the court system and you can do probate without a lawyer.  However, there may be times when a lawyer is necessary during probate.

Let's go over the general steps of the probate process and discuss how to probate a will without a lawyer if possible. Note that even if a lawyer is needed, you can hire them for very specific issues and might not need them for the entire process.

The Probate Process

1) Petition the court to be the estate representative

The court will require the petitioner (person asking the court to appoint an official representative) to fill out specific forms. These forms can (with the help of EZ-Probate) be filled out by you. It will be the basic "Who, What, When, Where," types of questions.

What you will need: A valid will, a copy of a will, or know for sure there is no will.

When would you need a lawyer:  When filling out the court forms, there is most likely no need for a probate lawyer unless you don't understand what the will is instructing the executor to do.

2) Notify heirs and creditors

The court will provide you with forms to fill out to notify heirs (listed in a will, or if no will state law dictates who the heirs are). Additionally, the representative is also responsible to find out what debts the deceased had and devise a plan to pay those debts. Remember, only assets that pass through probate are liable to pay debts. Learn which assets pass through probate here.

What you will need: a clear understanding of who the heirs are (will or state succession laws), and a reasonable attempt to uncover debts.

When would you need a lawyer: If you don't understand the will or need help determining who the heirs are. Note that all states post the "succession laws" and you can google them by searching: (state) succession law, or (state) intestate succession.

3) Change legal ownership of assets

This may be the most straightforward part. With the court appointment, you will now be able to change assets owned by the deceased to the "estate of…"

What you will need: Court appointment and knowledge of what the deceased owned.

When you would need a lawyer: There may be assets that have complicated ownership, businesses, royalties, mineral rights etc. If you are unsure how to transfer ownership, then an attorney is needed. For most common assets (bank accounts, investments, property) you will be able to do it yourself.

4) Pay funeral expenses, taxes, debts and transfer assets to heirs

Note the order that you will need to prioritize payments. The court places a priority on payment of funeral, taxes, and debts before any payments to heirs.

What you will need: A good accounting of all assets, debts, and likely tax liability. The executor is responsible (personally) to ensure that all attempts are made to pay funeral expenses and taxes.

When would you need a lawyer: If you don't have enough money to pay for all of the estate expenses, particularly the taxes. We STRONGLY advise seeking legal counsel for probate if the estate is insolvent (more debts than assets).

5) Tell the court what you have done and close the estate

This is when you report to the court and show proof that you have done everything needed to close the estate.

What you will need: Good documentation of what you have done and the court will provide you with a template to use to report your actions.

When would you need a lawyer: We recommend that at this point everyone should consult with an attorney to review the actions taken.  Although not necessary, it is wise to have an expert's eye on your actions to avoid any costly (personally to you) mistakes.

As you can see, we showed you how to probate a will without a lawyer , but certain situations can come up when a lawyer is most definitely recommended. Ultimately, much of probate is simply filling out forms. You can save time and money with any of our EZ-Probate plans, and leave the actual legal questions if they arise for a lawyer (we can even connect you with one of our legal partners for this consultation!).

Schedule a free consultation with one of our probate experts to decide what plan makes sense for you, or try our easy-to-use quiz to see what plan makes sense for your case. We'd love to help you complete probate with or without a lawyer — whatever is the best option for you.

How to Probate a Will Without a Lawyer

Source: https://ez-probate.com/learn/blog/how-probate-will-without-lawyer/

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