Going into a legal consultation regarding your probate affairs, you may have questions about what might happen during the meeting. On today’s blog, we expand on our YouTube series that discusses some of the ins and outs of probate by covering what you can expect during a probate consultation with an attorney from McCulloch & Miller.
Central Issues
There are a few central concerns that your probate attorney will want to address to make sure that the two of you are on the same wavelength. First and foremost, your attorney will want to know if there is a will or other estate planning document in play. If you are beginning the probate process for a loved one, the path you take will look completely different if there is a will or if there is no will. Even if there is a will, the attorney will want to have a look – it’s possible, for example, that the will might be invalid or that there might be inconsistencies that the attorney wants to raise on the front end of the proceedings.
Secondly, the attorney will want to know if there is a dispute in the family about how the decedent’s assets should be divided. Sometimes, beneficiaries are all on the same page and agree to whatever the decedent indicated on his or her estate planning documents. If there is no will, if there is disagreement about the will’s interpretation, or if a beneficiary thinks the will is invalid, tensions often rise. This will be key information for the attorney to learn before delving into your case.
Thirdly, the attorney will take a look at the nature of the assets at issue. The size and complexity of the estate will partially dictate which type of legal probate process will take place. The more your attorney can familiarize him or herself with the assets, the more he or she can be prepared to make sure the probate process goes smoothly.
While meeting with an attorney for the first time can be daunting, it is important to remember that your probate attorney is on your side. He or she has your best interest at heart and wants you to be able to achieve your goals throughout the probate process. With this in mind, you can walk into your meeting knowing that you are not alone as you navigate these complex legal issues.
Do You Need a Houston Probate Attorney?
At McCulloch & Miller, we are proud to serve clients from all walks of life in their estate planning journeys. We are experts in the probate process, and our probate attorneys adopt the mindset that every case is different because every individual and every estate plan is also different. We have been serving the Houston community for three decades, and our clients trust us to get them the results they need.
If you are in need of a probate attorney in the Houston area, give our office a call today at 713-955-7281. You can also fill out our online form to have an attorney reach back out to you as soon as possible to discuss legal needs and set up an initial consultation.