Estate & Probate Administration Library
5 Step Process to Estate & Probate Administration Done Right
At ThePeoplesLawFirm.com, the following is the 5 Step Process to Estate & Probate Administration Done Right:
Step 1—Call For Appointment. Call this number, (610) 365-4579, and schedule an appointment for an office consultation. We’ll quote you a price for the office consultation and evaluation. You’ll know that price before committing to an appointment. You can pay by cash, check or credit card;
Step 2—Office Consultation. Bring with you to the office consultation the Will, Trust or other estate planning documents. Also bring along any documentation that confirms the estate assets and debts. At this meeting, we’ll take down detailed information to determine what needs to be done. Based on that information, we’ll tell you what we charge per hour, and estimate what it will cost to do the job;
Step 3—Hire the Lawyer & What Paying by the Hour Looks Like. You hire the attorney by signing an attorney fee agreement, which confirms the terms and conditions of the attorney representation, the hourly rate, and how to pay. We accept cash, check or credit card as a method of payment. Here’s what paying by the hour looks like. We charge you an hourly rate for the time we spend working on the case. The “check-the-box” list of what needs to be done is what we’ll be spending our time working on. The hourly rate is broken down into increments of one tenth of an hour. For example, if the hourly rate is $325, and we work for an hour, then it’s $325. Half hour working, $162.50. Two tenths of an hour working, $65. You receive an itemized billing statement specifically describing each task that was done, how long it took, and the cost. Everything is transparent. If you have a question about how we spent time on the case, just ask and we’d be happy to discuss it with you.
For example, if we estimate the total cost to complete the process to be $20,000, we won’t ask for all that at once. Instead, we’ll start with a $5,000 retainer. We keep the retainer in a trust account, and only put money in the law firm account after it’s earned. Over time, if the trust account goes down to $1,000, we’ll request an additional $5,000 retainer, and continue in that manner until the whole process is complete. If, during the process, we learn of a change in facts and/or circumstances that formed the basis of our initial estimated total cost, which will now cause the total cost of the job to be far off from the initial estimate, then of course we’d discuss that with you before incurring the additional cost.
Step 4—Complete the Executor’s “check-the-box” List of What Needs to Be Done. Depending on the facts and circumstances of your particular case, some or all of the “check-the-box” list will need to be done. For the most part, the attorney and executor will be working together to make that happen. You’ll have the “check-the-box” list to guide you along the way; and
Step 5—Close the Estate and Give What’s Owed—The Will states who gets what and you shouldn’t do that until the process is complete. If everything runs smoothly, it should take a little over a year for the beneficiaries of the Will to receive their inheritance. And that’s it. The 5 Step Process to Estate & Probate Administration Done Right is complete and you can close the estate.
Want Peace of Mind and a Complete Evaluation of Your Case?
Call (610) 365-4579 NOW or Click HERE to schedule a consultation with Chester County Pennsylvania Estate & Probate Administration Attorney, Michaelangelo L. Dippolito. Click HERE to see the attorney’s background.
Not Ready to Speak to an Attorney Yet? No Problem.
Get this FREE Book and Consumer Protection Guide, Estate & Probate Administration in Pennsylvania, A Consumer Protection Guide on What You Need to Know to Protect Your Legal Rights. Here’s some of what’s in the FREE Book and Consumer Protection Guide:
- Executor’s “check-the-box” List of What Needs to Be Done
- Executor Could be Personally Liable if it’s Not Done Right
- How Lawyers Charge for Estate & Probate Administration
- How Long it Takes to Complete Estate & Probate Administration
- 5 Step Process to Estate & Probate Administration Done Right
- Arming Yourself with Knowledge is the First Step to a New Beginning
Still Not Ready and Want to Learn More Before You Move Forward? No problem.
Click HERE for more information on Estate & Probate Administration in Pennsylvania, and remember, we’re just a phone call away at (610) 365-4579.
Chester County Pennsylvania Estate & Probate Administration Attorney with ThePeoplesLawFirm.com