If your estate lacks liquidity when you die it may cause problems during the probate of your estate. Probate is the legal process that will follow your death. Probate serves several purposes, starting with identifying and securing assets owned by the decedent and ending with the distribution of remaining assets to the intended beneficiaries and/or heirs of the estate. In between, however, claims of the estate must be paid. The Hauppauge probate attorneys at the Law Offices of Kobrick & … [Read more...] about What Happens If an Estate Lacks Sufficient Assets to Pay All Claims

One of the most persuasive reasons to execute a Last Will and Testament is to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes after you are gone. Another, equally important, reason to leave behind a Will, however, is to ensure that you choose who will administer your estate. To help convince you why this is important, the Harrison probate attorneys at the Law Offices of Kobrick & Moccia explain who administers an estate if there is no Will. Understanding Probate Over the … [Read more...] about Who Administers an Estate If There Is No Will?

When a loved one passes away, one of the first practical steps that must be taken is to locate the decedent’s Last Will and Testament. If one was executed by the decedent prior to death, the person appointed within that Will as the Executor of the estate is charged with probating the estate. If you recently learned that you are the Executor of the estate of a recently deceased loved one, you may be wondering if you need an attorney to assist you with the probate process. To help you make that … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons You Need an Attorney to Help You Probate an Estate

If you recently lost a loved one you are undoubtedly managing the emotional impact of your loss. You may not wish to focus on anything else, however, if you were appointed by the decedent to be the Executor of his/her Last Will and Testament, or the family is looking to you to take charge in the absence of a Will, it will be up to you to handle the legalities involved in distributing the decedent’s estate. Typically, that entails going through the legal process known as probate. When is probate … [Read more...] about When Is Probate Not Necessary in New York?

When someone passes away, the surviving family members and loved ones usually go through a period of grief and mourning. For one survivor, the mourning process must give way to the legal ramifications of the decedent’s death. That person is the individual named as the Executor of the estate in the decedent’s Last Will and Testament. If you find yourself appointed to be the Executor of the estate of a recently departed loved one, you are likely feeling overwhelmed and uncertain where to begin if … [Read more...] about Probate Steps for the New Executor

Celebrity deaths often result in larger than life battles over the estates they leave behind. It may, therefore, not be a huge surprise that a court battle has been brewing over the estate of Charles Manson, the notorious mass murderer. As strange as it may seem, Manson’s estate may be worth a considerable amount of money. Consequently, not one, but four different people initially claimed to have the right to inherit Manson’s estate. A court recently narrowed the field down to two contenders for … [Read more...] about Battle Over Control of Manson Estate Narrowed to Two

If you recently lost a family member or loved one, you are undoubtedly going through a tremendously emotional time period. If you are also in charge of administering the decedent’s estate, either because you were appointed in a Will or because you volunteered, you also have an important job ahead of you. One of your first responsibilities as part of that job is to determine if the estate must go through formal probate or if an alternative for small estates is available. The probate lawyers at … [Read more...] about Is Formal Probate Required in New York?

When you sit down to create your estate plan, the primary focus of your plan will likely be the disposition of your estate assets at the time of your death to ensure that they are available to help provide for your loved ones in your absence. Your plan, however, may also include additional components aimed at achieving a wide variety of additional, inter-related, estate planning goals. Probate avoidance is a very common one of those goals. To help you understand probate and the desire to avoid … [Read more...] about Harrison Estate Planning Attorneys Offer Ways to Avoid Probate

Did you recently learn that you were appointed to be the Executor of the estate of a recently deceased loved one? Or did you decide to volunteer to be the Administrator for the estate of a recently departed loved one who died intestate, or without a Last Will and Testament. Either way, you have a very important job to do during a time when you are still grieving the loss of your loved one, thereby increasing the odds of making a mistake. The Hauppauge probate attorneys at Law Offices of Kobrick … [Read more...] about Hauppauge Probate Attorneys Discuss Common Mistakes to Avoid When Probating an Estate

When you sit down to create your estate plan, you will have to make a number of important decisions. While many of those decisions will be directly related to the disposition of your estate assets after you are gone, one of the most important decisions will not be. That decision is your choice of Executor, appointed by you when you execute your Last Will and Testament. The probate lawyers at the Law Offices of Kobrick & Moccia stress the need to appoint the right Executor to ensure that the … [Read more...] about Probate Lawyers Stress the Need to Appoint the Right Executor