Lake Wales Probate Attorney

Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person.  In Florida, an attorney must be hired to probate an estate.  If the value of an estate is less than $75,000 or if the decedent died more than two years ago, a summary proceeding may be used, otherwise, a formal administration is required.  As one would expect, a summary administration is less expensive and quicker than a formal administration.

In both summary and formal administration, the process is basically the same:

1. The will, if any, must be identified and submitted to the Court
2. Each heir, beneficiary, and interested party must be identified and notified of the probate proceeding
3. All creditors of the decedent must be identified and notified
4. All assets of the estate must be identified and valued
5. Creditors must be paid and the beneficiaries must receive their shares of the estate.  Once creditors have been paid and the property is distributed, the estate can be closed.

The complexity of the Florida probate case and how long it takes to administer it depends on several factors   As your probate attorney, I will help you by explaining each step of the process and by preparing the necessary documents to file with the court.

Please call my office at 863-232-5200 to schedule a consultation to discuss any Florida probate issues that you may have.