Death is an inescapable fact of life. Sooner or later you may find yourself with the responsibility of the disposition of a loved one’s estate. Probate is the court-supervised process of the orderly management of property and/or businesses belonging to a deceased person, the resolution of a decedent’s creditors’ claims and the distribution of estate assets.
In South Florida, the Courts will not permit a non-attorney to administer an estate without legal representation. The process is complicated, requires the services of an experienced attorney with a diversified background and understanding of the Probate Code, Probate Rules, Rules of Civil Procedure, insurance law, real estate law, business law, Federal and State estate tax law as well as banking and/or brokerage firm procedures to wade through whatever business an estate may present.
Do not delay in seeking out legal advise for this process. As well, under Florida law there are certain deadlines that need to be complied with, the failure to do so may be quite costly if a particular deadline is missed or overlooked.
For example, the Personal Representative of an Estate and his/her attorney may need to address some or all of the following circumstances during the probate process: