It is important that you know what exactly a will is. It is a legal document that consists of the final decisions and instructions of a person and will be valid or rather enforceable upon the testator’s (maker of the will) death. A will technically deal with the testator’s wishes, assets basically how they should be distributed to the beneficiaries upon his or her death. The probate process, however, oversees the management and the disbursement process of the estate or all the property belonging to the testator. To make a will legally enforceable it usually has to be signed by the testator and attested by two witnesses, however, the legal process to probate a will depends on your country’s law.
Start the probate process.
If you don’t have some basic legal knowledge especially about how will work you should at least search online and get some basic knowledge about wills. You may have to learn some key vocabulary such as real property, personal property, petition, executor, administrator, heir, creditors or beneficiaries etc. it is not necessary for you to become some legal expert within a day just make sure that you familiarize with some legal terms for your own good. This is why commercial lawyers North Shore are there you can get any legal advice from them and get solutions for any disputes you have with regard to a will. Also, know the role of an executor make sure that you get some legal advice on this area. An executor will have to be named in the will, he will be in charge of probating the will and settling the estate. The testator will have to name the executor in his/her will.
Hiring an attorney.
Executing a will is definitely a complex process and it has to be done through a legal process. Especially if someone challenges the will or the role of the executor you should be able to show that the will is valid thus, enforceable. In some countries, there are probate forms which the testator can fill out on his own but other states and countries don’t. Probate lawyers will guide you to handle the estate properly. Hire an experienced solicitor and usually, attorney fees can be paid out of the estate assets or property.
Petitioning for probate.
Ensure that you have multiple copies of the death certificate of the testator you will need a copy to file a petition. You will also need copies for other entities later. If you are the executor of someone’s will you will have to first file a petition to probate the will. And ensure that you file a petition with the guidance of your solicitor.
