Skip to main content

How Long Does Probate Take?

Any time you lose a loved one it can be difficult as you cope with your grief and try your best to move forward.

However, things can get a bit more complex (and possibly even confusing) if you've been named as executor of that person's estate. If that happens-- and especially if you've never served in such a role -- you'll likely have many questions about what the probate process entails, including how long it will take.

Simply put, probate is the process of transferring legal title of the decedent's property to the rightful beneficiaries or heirs. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule for the time it takes to complete probate. In fact, it can take anywhere from several months to several years

There are many factors that can impact the length of time probate takes to complete, including whether:


  • Any creditor claims exist
  • There is property that needs to be sold
  • The estate has federal or state tax liabilities
  • There are disputes among the heirs or beneficiaries
  • Someone is pursuing a will contest
  • The beneficiaries or heirs are easily identified and located
  • The beneficiaries or heirs are cooperative
  • The probate court is backlogged with other estates

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Questioned by the Police? - Don't Forget Your Rights

One of the special things about our country's criminal justice system is that if you are suspected or accused of committing a crime, you have certain fundamental rights. Unfortunately though, many people aren't aware of their rights, or, in the head of the moment, they forget about those rights. For instance, citizens who find themselves being questioned and in police custody may not even be aware that they have a basic fundamental right to have an attorney present any time they are being questioned by any branch of law enforcement. Truth is, having an attorney present if you are being quested is vitally important. Why is that? For one thing, an experienced criminal defense attorney can help you from incriminating yourself, can make sure that you don't answer questions that are designed to trick you, and can keep officers from asking the same question over and over again. Bottom line - having a criminal defense attorney on your side can help make sure that you don...
2 comments
Read more

Full Custody, Joint Custody, and Sole Custody - What You Need to Know

We figured it might be helpful to produce a short article that summarizes the key differences among different types of custody. Full custody: this means that one parent is granted the majority of custody time and legal rights for the child. Joint custody: in this situation, the parents can split the physical custody of the child, and then have just one of the parents handle the legal custody (and, as a result, make any major decisions on behalf of the child). More common is to have parents share legal custody and then have one parent awarded physical custody. True joint custody arrangements, in which parents share both physical and legal custody equally, tend to be rare because of the logistical and personal issues involved (scheduling, added stress, disruption of the child's routine, costs, etc.) Sole custody: this means that one parent is awarded full legal and physical custody. These arrangements are rare, and are typically only set up if one parent is deemed unfit or wh...
1 comment
Read more

Important Safety Warning from the CPSC

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commision (CPSC) had issued an important alert urging consumers to immediately stop using the LayZ Board self-balancing scooters (known as hoverboards). The CPSC has evidence that the LayZ Board was the hoverboard involved in the tragic fire on March 10, 2017, in Harrisburg, PA, which took the lives of two young girls. Numerous other fires have occurred in recent years as a result of the lithium-ion batteries in hoverboards, although this is the first fire that is believed to have directly led to fatalities. The LayZ Board hoverboards were manufactured in Shenzhen, China, and more than 3,000 units were imported into the United States. Due to the fire hazard posed to consumers of all ages by these hoverboards, the CPSC is urging the public to stop charging and stop using their LayZ Board. Consumers who choose to dispose of their hoverboards should take them to a local recycling center for safe handling of the lithium-ion battery. The CPSC is also...
Post a Comment
Read more