What To Do If A Loved One Dies Without A Will

Posted on: 8 September 2018

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Going through the grieving process after a loved one passes away is rarely an easy feat. It's hard to lose someone that you cared about, especially if they were in your immediate family or you lived in the same house as them. The situation becomes even more intense when that individual did not leave behind a will. If you're in this circumstance, you need to know what to do. The following tips can help you get through the process in the best possible way.

Hire A Probate Lawyer

If the person you cared for did not leave a will, there are probably a lot of unanswered questions swirling in your mind. How do you divide up the estate? Who should be a beneficiary? Do you need to take care of any outstanding bills that the deceased person had? What about taxes? All these questions and many more can be answered by partnering with a probate attorney.

Probate lawyers are there to help the people who are the executors of an estate. They have studied the laws and know how to advise you on the legal aspects of your case, whether it's determining who needs to be paid before the estate can be doled out, finding out how to take care of taxes, or even helping you defend yourself against other people who might try to bring a lawsuit against you in hopes of getting their own payday. The attorney will be right there to walk with you as you go through what can be a very difficult journey.

Find Out If There Are Unknown Assets

You may have seen advertisements in the newspaper which list assets that have gone unclaimed by the people who own them. Many of the properties and accounts listed there most likely belong to someone who has passed away. If the items remain unclaimed they can eventually become state property.

Hire an investigator who can find out if your loved one had any accounts or properties that you didn't know about. These things can be added to the estate so that the right people will be able to take possession of them.

If you use these tips you should be able to come out on the other end of the situation with a much clearer head. Refuse the urge to stress yourself out and do what it takes to settle the estate of the person who meant so much to you. Contact a professional like David R Webb Attorney for more information.