A Law Career

Top Benefits Of Hiring A Probate Lawyer When You're The Executor Of An Estate

by Ruby Mckinney

When a person passes away, their estate has to go through probate court before the estate can be officially settled. This applies to people who had a last will and testament, as well as those without a will. If you are the executor of the estate for a recently deceased person, it is normal to feel overwhelmed by the probate process. One of the best things that you can do as an executor is hire a lawyer to assist you with going through probate. Some of the top benefits of hiring a probate lawyer include:

Ensure that Debts are Properly Settled

As the executor of an estate, you must use assets from the estate to pay off any debt that the deceased person may have had. If you make errors when doing so or neglect to pay off a valid debtor, you can be held liable. Most people have little to no experience being the executor of an estate, so it is not uncommon for mistakes to be made. When you hire a probate lawyer, they will validate all debts and ensure that valid debts are paid off as according to law so that there are no major problems going through probate court.

Speed Up the Probate Process

Most executors want an estate to be settled as quickly as possible so assets can be distributed to the heirs of the deceased. Unfortunately, probate is not a fast process, especially when someone is inexperienced and does not understand all of the steps involved. If you try to go through probate on your own, you will likely get confused and make mistakes that can draw out the process longer than necessary. A probate lawyer has an in-depth knowledge of everything involved with probate court, so they can help ensure that the estate goes through probate as quickly as possible.

Save Your Valuable Time

Today, most adults work full-time jobs and lead very busy lives. Thus, few people have a lot of free time to deal with all of the details involved with moving an estate through probate. Hiring a probate lawyer is a simple and easy way to save your valuable time. After you give your lawyer the requested documentation from the estate, they can work on your behalf to move the estate through probate court so the estate can be settled by the judge. 

Contact a probate attorney for more information.

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