Excellent Reasons To Talk To A Probate Attorney

By Arline Bradley


Nothing beats being truly prepared, and in the world where many unexpected things can happen in a minute, you have to have all the stops covered. You are not working several hard hours a day for five days a week just for yourself. All your hard work is for the benefit of the ones who matter to you the most.

Being prepared means having all the basics covered. For you to be able to do this, you should consider having a last will and document. While some people think that this is only for old people and the extremely rich, the truth is, every responsible adult should have at least a draft. You can make the contents of the document on your own, or you can have a probate attorney Salt Lake City to assist you.

Parents, especially those with minor children, should at least draft a will even without significant assets. Without a will, the legal guardianship of your child will be decided by the court should you die before they reach adulthood. The distribution of your possessions will also be decided upon by the government. Precious heirlooms you had planned on giving to special people will be sold at auction and all the money will also go to government funding.

Once you have you own will, you should keep it updated. Failure to do so could lead to its invalidity. Important reasons for an update could be the birth or adoption of a new member of the family, death of a benefactor, death of the will executor, or a change in marital status.

A probate attorney will be able to help you with this. This type of attorney specializes in the drafting and the execution of such documents. He or she will be able to guide you in the decision of inheritances and the like. At the time of death of the testator, the attorney will read the contents of the will and administers it to the remaining members. He or she also guides them in the probate process.

The probate process is a court proceeding wherein the assets are to be distributed according to the wishes of the deceased. This process is to ensure that the will is carried out properly. Any pleadings and motions to contest the will, if ever, are also carried out during the proceedings.

Some family members can also contest their right to the will and get a motion for its review. In the case of poorly drafted or not updated wills, recent heirs who did not have a share can ask for theirs. All these messy issues regarding who should receive something and who should are all parts of the job of a probate attorney.

The services of this kind of professional can be settled in two ways. First you can opt for an hourly billing. Small town attorneys can charge as low as $150 per hour. In bigger areas most of them have a rate of $250 an hour. Or, you can also choose to pay the flat rate which is $1 500 for the entire duration of the process.

The matter of having a last will and testament is a very serious one. This is not being morbid, it is about being practical. One needs to be prepared all the time, and this document is a way to do such.




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