After a person dies, his or her estate must be settled and any assets are passed to the decedent’s beneficiaries. If a decedent’s assets were not held in a living trust, and they do not pass to their beneficiaries by some other method, for example, by contractual beneficiary designation, a probate may be necessary.

A probate proceeding takes place in a probate court, and the process can take from six months to several years. The probate court oversees all of the steps of the estate administration, and the cost is usually much higher than it would be if the decedent had had a living trust. When we conduct a probate, our goal is to work as fast as the court rules will allow, and to make sure that only the assets that cannot be transferred any other way are included in the probate process.

When a person has created and funded a living trust, the administration of his or her assets after death can be very simple. The successor Trustee is required by law to give certain notices and information to beneficiaries. We assist the Trustee to complete all required tasks and distribute trust assets to the rightful beneficiaries as quickly as possible.