Probate

Grieving The Recent Loss Of A Family Member? Osenton Law Can Help You Resolve Their Estate Through Probate As Quickly & Efficiently As Possible So You Can Move Forward.

You Can Trust Our Probate Firm To Guide You Every Step Of The Way & Give You The Compassionate, Personal Attention You Deserve.

Probate, which is also known as estate administration, isn’t always necessary in Florida. If your loved one owned their assets jointly, in a trust, or in a lady bird deed (designed for real estate transfers), then you may be able to avoid probate entirely, but if not, you may need to be appointed by the court as a personal representative and oversee the process. 

When you’re mourning, legalities are the last thing you want to deal with. Unfortunately, there are many tasks and responsibilities involved in probate, including, but not limited to,:

• Submitting the will and other required petitions to the court in order to begin the process
• Publicly notifying creditors and beneficiaries
• Inventorying and appraising your loved one’s assets
• Securing and maintaining them until the estate is settled
• Paying for any necessary maintenance services until the estate is settled
• Collecting your loved one’s life insurance benefits
• Negotiating and settling outstanding debts
• Filing final tax returns and paying outstanding taxes
• Keeping detailed records of fiduciary actions and consolidating those records into final accounting
• Distributing assets to beneficiaries
• Paying court costs and fees associated with the process
• Filing a final petition to close the estate

There are also many fees and deadlines involved with each of these steps. Making mistakes along the way or failing to meet deadlines can cause you to incur additional fees or can prolong the process, which already takes (on average) six – nine months to complete. If family conflict arises over the contents of/validity of the will, or over your decisions as the personal representative, you could have to navigate a lawsuit, which could further increase the costs and time associated with probate. Having a Florida probate lawyer lead you through the process (and defend your claim to the estate, if necessary) can save you tremendous amounts of time, money, and stress. 

At Osenton Law, P.A., we take the time to listen to you and answer your questions so that you can feel confident in the journey ahead. We can explain whether your loved one’s estate will need to go through formal administration (traditional probate), or if it can qualify for summary administration (an expedited form of probate when the value of the estate is less than $75,000). Our lead probate attorney, O. Reginald “Reggie” Osenton, has extensive knowledge of probate law, estate planning law, civil litigation, and bankruptcy law; his experience can give you an enormous advantage against any legal challenges you may come up against in the course of probate. Our firm offers affordable fee arrangements that we tell you about upfront so you don’t have to worry about any surprises. We can also help you take the steps to prevent your family from having to go through probate when you eventually pass. Call today to schedule a free consultation with us and discuss your situation.