Staying On The Right Side Of The Law

3 Reasons To Hire A Probate Lawyer

Dealing with the distribution of an estate after a loved one has passed on can often be a very difficult and complicated process, mostly because there are a huge number of issues that can come up. Listed below are three reasons to hire a probate lawyer to help you deal with the distribution of an estate.

Handle Disputes Between Beneficiaries

One of the biggest reasons to hire a probate lawyer is to get some help dealing with potential disputes between beneficiaries. A probate lawyer can help convince beneficiaries to come to an agreeable arrangement without resorting to court. This is very helpful because arguing over the division of assets in court and disputing a will can often be extremely expensive, which can greatly reduce how much of the assets actually make it to the beneficiaries in the end.

Determine Tax Liabilities

Another reason to hire a probate lawyer to help with the estate is to determine if any tax liabilities exist. While some of the beneficiaries may be pressuring you to immediately distribute the assets, this can cause a lot of problems in the end if taxes are owed but not paid. If tax liabilities are not taken care of before the assets are distributed, everyone could easily end up with less money in the end because the government could very well apply fines and penalties in addition to the owed taxes. 

Help You Get Paid For Your Time

Finally, you will want to hire a probate lawyer to ensure that some money from the estate is utilized to pay you for all the time and effort you put in while distributing your deceased loved one's estate. While you may think that you don't really need to be paid to ensure that your deceased loved one's property and assets are distributed to family and friends, you have to consider that, as the executor of the estate, you may be spending a massive amount of time dealing with the estate and the beneficiaries over the course of months. This could result in you missing work or putting in a lot of work during your free time and you deserve to be compensated for all of that work, and a probate lawyer can ensure that you are paid for it.

Contact a probate lawyer today in order to discuss how he or she may be able to assist you with the estate that you are managing. A probate lawyer can help you deal with tax liabilities and disputes between beneficiaries while also ensuring that you get paid for the time that you spent dealing with the estate. Contact a firm like Wilson Deege Despotovich Riemenschneider & Rittgers for more information.


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