When a loved one passes away, you don’t just deal emotionally. There are also legal aspects to consider. If your loved one didn’t leave a big enough estate, then you can easily handle the job on your own, no legal assistance required. However, if the estate or assets are large, dividing an estate or managing asset distribution on your own can be scary. You’ll need help.
What is probate?
The Guardian refers to it as a process that grants you rights deal with the financial affairs of a deceased person, from paying off final debts to asset management.
Hiring a Probate Lawyer
That’s where hiring legal help comes in. If you find yourself confronting the following situations, you definitely need a probate attorney in Cortland OH to help you out:
- You have living trusts held in joint tenancy so the trusts can’t be transferred out of the probate, making your life that much harder. You’ll need legal help to sort this one out.
- The estate you ended up with isn’t qualified for the state’s small estate procedures. Small state procedures usually involve creating an affidavit to whoever holds the asset to satisfy transfer property legal requirements. But if you have several properties or large assets to distribute, the best course of action to take is to hire a lawyer.
- The estate has more than common assets. If you have to get assets appraised or businesses sold off, you won’t be able to take on that much on your own without the proper legal assistance and counsel.
- Other family members are contesting the will. Having a lawyer to quickly sort it out can help you avoid a long, expensive battle in the courts.
So do your best to honor the wishes of a deceased loved one, regardless if you end up with assets simply too large for you to handle. Get legal help.
