What Is Probate of a Will and What Should You Do in OKC?

Probate is a legal procedure where the court evaluates the assets and other properties of a descendent and determines the inheritors. The decedent may decide who will be the executor after his or her death. The administrator assesses all the assets, including real estate, bank accounts, and other financial investments and repays all the liabilities, if there are any.

Then he or she distributes the remaining assets among the inheritors. If you want to go through the probate procedure without getting into any trouble, contact a probate attorney in OKC immediately.

What Is a Probate Attorney and What Do They Do?

A probate attorney does all the legal work related to probate procedures. The lawyer helps the executor will help to understand the number of assets and whether there is any liability or obligation. In that case, the state-licensed lawyer repays the creditors and distributes the assets to the inheritors.

The lawyer basically settles the affair throughout the legal procedure. But you can avoid probate if the descendant keeps all the assets in a trust. In that case, the trust will distribute the property among the inheritors outside the court.

What Is the Average Cost of Probate in Oklahoma City?

Keep in mind that probate is a complex legal procedure that may take time. When it comes to the average cost of probate, the price may vary based on several factors. The following are:

• Type of estate plan

• Size of the estate

• If any inheritor contests the will

• The complexity of the estate

• The cost of a probate lawyer

There are also fees for other processes, which may include in the total cost. You have to pay filing and court fees, fees of a personal representative, attorney fees, appraisers, land surveyors and accountant’s fees.

How Long Do You Need to Wait to Complete the Probate Process?

In general, any case regarding probate may take four to six months. But if your case is complex and a huge amount of assets are involved there, the case may take much longer time than usual.

Should You Hire a Probate Attorney?

According to legal experts, you should hire a probate attorney to go through the process because it is complex and time-consuming. If you are not a pro in this field, you may not understand various aspects of the case. Before hiring a probate lawyer, you should ask yourself a few questions about the size of the estate, the complexity of state law, other beneficiary relationships and the type of estate plan.

What Questions to Ask a Probate Attorney?

Before hiring any expert for legal help, you should ask these questions to avoid confusion in between the case. As a result, you don’t have to face any further problems later. You may ask-

• For how long do you practice in this field?

• How long may my case take to settle?

• Do you practice in other areas?

• What are your fees?

• Have you handled a similar case before?

How Can You Avoid Probate in Oklahoma City?

Many people want to avoid this entire probate procedure because of its complexity and other issues. If you don’t want to deal with probate, you should keep other beneficiaries up to date about the assets, keep the assets to a living trust and name the assets as POD and TOD.

Seek Legal Help

There are many examples where people get frustrated due to the time-consuming procedure. But if you want to go through the legal process without any trouble, hire an experienced probate attorney. You must consult us at Reneau Law Group at (405) 732-5432.