Probate

Probate

When someone passes away, and they do not have a living trust or other means (such as proper deeds)  in place to avoid probate, the estate goes through probate. Probate includes the following:

• Notifying creditors of the passing;
• Taking an inventory of the property;
• Appraising, or valuing, the property;
• Paying the debts, and
• Distributing the property to the heirs.

Probate, is usually lengthy, complicated, time-consuming, and expensive. When estate planning steps have not been taken, your heirs must go through probate. So, while they are mourning the death of a loved one they also need to figure out what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. It also leaves little room for your desires to be played out if there are no legally binding instruction.  Because the probate process is governed by the court rules and probate law, and fees are set by statute, in choosing an attorney to represent you, you want to work with someone who knows the process and who will work closely with you to get it completed as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Our office understands how overwhelming the probate process can be and we work with our clients every step of the way.

Contact one of our attorneys by visiting www.carmenrosaslaw.com, creating a client account, or by calling our office at 650-503-3770. Our main office is located in Redwood City but we have a satellite office in San Jose and where necessary will do home visits.