Our probate lawyers provide expert legal advice for all aspects of probate, including estate administration and disputes.
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The process of distributing assets and paying debts after a loved one dies is often a complex and stressful process. Our role is to help you navigate the system and take some of the burden off your shoulders.
The Hemmat Law Group has decades of experience helping clients honor the memory of their loved ones.
We are committed to providing excellent and honorable representation across the state of Washington, and can assist estates of all backgrounds, sizes, complexities, and scales.
If you need help, don’t navigate the system alone.
Probate in Washington is discretionary and only a few percent of. deaths in Washington result in a probate being filed every year. Whether probate is required will depend on the assets in the estate, the character of the wider family, and whether an estate plan has already been established prior to the decedent’s passing.
If probate is necessary, the person named in the will as executor goes to the superior court in the county where the deceased person lived and starts the process. The prospective executor files the will, if any, with a document called a Petition for Probate, which contains a request to be formally appointed as executor.
The Executor/Administrator navigates a process of sending notice to all creditors of the estate of the Decedent’s passing, and paying final taxes on behalf of the estate to local and federal officials. The complexity of this process will vary based on the assets at hand.
The personal representative can distribute estate assets to inheritors only after debts and taxes are paid. The personal representative follows the instructions in the will, or if there is no will, turns to state “intestate succession” law to determine who inherits.
A personal representative who had paid all debts, filed the required tax returns and distributed all the estate assets formally requests the court to close the probate case. The process is simple if the personal representative gets all the heirs and beneficiaries to sign a Receipt and Waiver document. If they don’t, the personal representative will have more notices to give and documents to file.
Sometimes, estates can be mismanaged to the detriment of you or your family. Far too often individuals act with selfish motives to cheat others out of an inheritance.
Whether it is advising those involved or asking the court to intervene, our team has the experience and dedication to ensure your loved one’s wishes are followed and their legacy is treated with respect.
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