The Benefits Of Using Probate Assistance To Execute An Estate

When a loved one has made you the executor of their will, you may be unsure about what is expected of you. You might not know what legal processes to follow or how to ensure the estate is handled according to the deceased's wishes. 

Instead of handling the estate on your own, you can hire a lawyer to help you execute it properly. You can benefit from using professional probate assistance when you have been made an estate executor.

Paying Taxes

When you retain probate assistance for the estate, you can ensure the taxes owed from it are paid in full. The deceased person might have failed to set aside money with which to pay their final taxes. Even more, you might not want to foot the tax bill for it on your own.

The lawyer you hire to provide you with probate assistance, however, can find out how much taxes are owed from it. You can then pay out this amount of money from the income and assets in the estate. You avoid passing on a tax bill to the heirs or paying the bill on your own.

Notifying Creditors

As an estate executor, you also may be legally responsible for notifying any creditors that have lawful claims against the estate. You may be unsure of how to notify creditors. You may not even know what creditors the deceased owes money to.

However, when you hire a lawyer to provide probate assistance to you, you can have notification of the estate's execution published in local newspapers. The lawyer can ensure ample notice is provided so any creditors can lay claim to the estate in due time before it is executed fully.

Barring Undue Claims

Finally, the attorney handling your probate assistance can help you vet claims from people to the estate. Distant relatives of the deceased, for example, may try to make claims against it. Your attorney can find out how much, if anything, each person can lay claim to and use your state's probate laws to safeguard as much of the estate for its rightful heirs as possible.

Hiring an attorney to provide probate assistance can help you as an estate executor. You can ensure the final taxes get paid from the estate. You can also follow the law about notifying creditors and publishing a notice of the estate in the newspaper. You likewise can protect the estate from undue inheritance claims. 

Contact a local law office, such as the Law office of Janet Lund, to learn more.