Woodbury Lawyer to Contest a Will
If you have lost a loved one, the last thing you want to focus on is the distribution of property, but it is something that has to be done. The probate process can be very complicated, especially if the person who has died had substantial assets or was heavily in debt.
At the Dittrich Law Firm, P.A., Greg Dittrich and his helpful, approachable staff will guide you through the process with honesty and compassion. Contact our St. Paul probate attorney to begin the process of putting your loved one's final affairs to rest.
The Probate Process
Probate is the process in which the court provides administration of a deceased person's property, whether they had a will, established a trust, or if they died without a will. The process can be administered either formally or informally, at the discretion of the Probate court. It can take anywhere from six to 12 months.
A deceased person's property gets divided according to the terms of a will or a trust. If someone dies without a will, their property must be handled in accordance with state inheritance law. The court's oversight of the process is particularly useful and necessary where the decedent had significant assets or debts at the time of their death.
The deceased person's creditors will be put on notice that the person has died and that they will not be paid unless they have a valid claim to the estate. This process frees the deceased person's family from being contacted. The former providers of healthcare services and any beneficiary of the estate must also be notified that the deceased person has died.
The deceased person's death must be published in the legal newspaper of the county where they resided or died. Creditors and other beneficiaries of the estate must be given four to six months to respond. At that point if there are valid claims on the estate, the deceased person's bills are paid, bequests are distributed according to the will or intestacy laws and tax returns are filed, even if there are no taxes to be paid.
Contesting a Will in Probate
If a will was properly witnessed it is very easy for the witnesses to provide proof of the existence of the will and its terms. This makes it very difficult for potential beneficiaries or interested third parties to contest a will. To contest a will in Minnesota, there generally needs to be something wrong with how it was created.
If you disagree with the terms of a deceased person's will, Mr. Dittrich can use his experience in drafting wills and estate plans to determine if there are sufficient problems with how the will was created to make it contestable.
Washington County Estate Law Firm
Gregory Dittrich is experienced in representing clients through the probate process. Due to his financial background, Mr. Dittrich has familiarity with spreadsheets, financial statements and software to help him work confidently with creditors and government agencies.
He and his friendly and knowledgeable staff will work with you to tie up these loose ends while keeping your costs down. Contact our Woodbury lawyer to contest a will today.
