Probate
Somebody has died. Here is the shape of the next year.
You do not need to know any of this before you ring. It is here because people find it at two in the morning a week after a funeral, and knowing the shape of a thing helps.
01
Open the estate
Me, with you
Petition, the will if there is one, and the appointment of a personal representative. Usually four to eight weeks to get the appointment.
02
Notify and inventory
You, with me
Creditors are notified, accounts are found, and an inventory is filed. This is where families discover accounts nobody knew about.
03
The waiting period
The court's clock
Maine requires time for claims. Nothing anybody does makes this shorter, and anybody who tells you otherwise is selling something.
04
Pay and distribute
Me
Debts and taxes first, then what is left goes where the will says. Beneficiaries usually see money at this step and not before.
05
Close the estate
Me
A final account and a discharge. Nine months to a year is normal for a straightforward estate; longer if anybody contests anything.
The first call is free and is usually twenty minutes of me telling you what you do not have to do yet.
Nothing about probate has to happen this week. Nobody loses anything by waiting a fortnight to ring.
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