Spokane Probate Attorney and Probate Services Attorney in Spokane, WA, Coeur d’Alene, ID & Lewiston, ID
Our Spokane Probate Attorney will explain court procedures in plain language. We listen to your concerns. We answer your questions. We coordinate probate services with your professionals, like accountants, appraisers, realtors, investment advisors, property managers, and trustees. And, we work with you to make the probate process as simple, efficient, and economical as possible.
When a member of your family or a close friend dies, you carry a burden – many emotions, many decisions to make. If you are named the Personal Representative of the deceased’s estate, your stressful burden is even greater. Our probate process begins by helping you understand the legal journey you will be taking as you take care of your loved one’s estate.
The legal trek begins with a petition to the court. In the petition, the person named in the will asks the court to appoint them the Personal Representative (often called the “Executor” or “Executrix”) of the decedent’s estate for the purpose of managing the probate process. The Personal Representative then takes the following steps:
- Identifies all of the estate’s asset and debts
- Gives notice to the estate’s creditors
- Pays all of the bills
- Finds all of the deceased’s heirs
- Distributes the estate’s assets to the heirs
When that’s been done, the court will discharge the Personal Representative, and the case will be closed.
Our Spokane Probate Attorney and Probate Services Help Make The Probate Process Easier for You in a Number of Ways:
- We answer all of your probate questions, and we make sure you completely understand the process. For some clients, this phase is fast. For others, we spend hours. Importantly, we don’t bill our clients for the time we spend with them answering questions – whether in person, on the phone, or by email. We want our clients to be in a position to make fully informed and intelligent decisions. If we charged our clients for this process, they may be less likely to ask all of the questions that come to mind. We avoid that problem. Ask us anything, anytime – it’s on our dime.
- We draft all of the legal pleadings, notices, and documents. And we file, publish, and deliver them as required by law.
- We coordinate the estate’s business with all of the necessary professionals.
- We write and review all of the correspondence to and from creditors, government agencies, heirs, and others.
- We track the status of all of the timelines, court files, and legal notices. And, we keep you up-to-date and fully informed of our progress.
- We help you identify the estate’s proper creditors, and account for the payments you make to them. We mention “proper” creditors because sometimes people, businesses, and even government agencies that claim to be owed money by the estate, actually aren’t owed anything under the law. By weeding out the illegitimate claims, we maximize the assets available for the heirs.
- We help you determine the deceased’s heirs, and assist you in transferring to them their proper inheritance. If any heir has a dispute with the estate, we’ll help you take care of that too.
- And, when all of your works is finished, we wrap things up with the court by obtaining your discharge.
It may seem like a lot goes on in the probate process, and it does. But, it’s not scary when you have someone to help you. And, you may be surprised to know, most of our probate clients never step into the courthouse. Our Probate Services take care of all of that for you. You get to focus on your family and the loss you share with them.
Facing probate concerns, or need probate services? Call our probate attorney today. In Spokane call: (509) 818-6699 In Coeur d’Alene call: (208) 818-5488 In Lewiston call: (208) 848-6175
