Do I need a lawyer to handle my father's estate if he did not have a will and not much $?
373584
If you are joint on any bank account holdings, real estate, or other property he had, then you do not need a lawyer.  However, if there things that you were not joint owner of, then you at least have to go to court to havea judge name you the beneficiary.  In my case, my mother was joint on all of my father's ownings, so she did not have to do anything more than present a death certificate to have his name removed from those holdings.  Most such things are actually titled "joint account with right of survivorship".
362507
I would get a second opinion from another solicitor.  By using the term "solicitor", I presume you are in the U.K.  I am not familiar with the laws of your country.  Here in the U.S., property would not pass to the decedent's siblings unless the decedent had no children or grandchildren and did not have a surviving spouse.
993352
I'm not a lawyer, and if this were my dillemma, I would definately be seeking legal counsel. I would venture to guess though that if there was a will, the will would have to be honored. But as you can see with the Anna Nicole Smith case, it is tied up in litigation still. I guess it all comes down to who wants to contest what. If there is no contesting the will, the will should be honored. I advise seeking a lawyer on this one though.
826351
If the document your dad signed was legal, then you have a legal case.  But 2000.00 isn't very much money to start with, and a lawyer will probably cost you more than 2000.00.  \n\nYou might want to wait a little while to see how you feel before making a decision about this.  If you get involved with figuring this out now, it may temporarily distract you from the pain of losing your father, but is that what you really want?   I suggest you give yourself time to grieve and to remember things about your dad, and to spend time with your sister, etc.  I hope you and your family can find comfort in each other during this difficult time.
1049631
if you are in the us, go the probate court in the city where your father passed...they will have the estate information on file and can tell you who to contact
988001
She will have to go through the court process to distribute the assets he has left.  Everything has to go through the state if there is no will.  I would suggest she call an attorney and a certified public accountant.  The attorney will be able to tell her how and where to file papers to the state.  The CPA will tell her what she needs to do to file his final tax return and the Estate Tax Return (if needed).  If he doesn't have much say maybe a house and a car or something small then she shouldn't have to do much.  If he has a lot of stocks, bonds, savings accounts, retirement, etc.  she should definately hire an attorney.  Check your state laws for more specific details of forms and steps to take.  I'm sorry to hear about her loss.  You are a good friend to help her anyway you can.
579785
Go see a lawyer IN THE SAME STATE AS YOUR FATHER and explain this situation.  Then hang around your father like a tick on a cold day until he signs a will.\n\nThis is the only good way to protect your mother from poverty or delayed property transfers while she is grieving.  All this should be settled now, in advance, based on the blessing of your father knowing he's going to die as well as about WHEN that's going to happen.\n\nYour mother's grief will be ENORMOUSLY AGGRAVATED if her husband dies without a will ("intestate" is the word for that).
942086
Not that I know of. But one can always prepare a will, with it being as specific and detailed as possible and get it notorized. That still holds, even if you do not have a formal one prepared, ie thru a lawyer. Getting a format to prepare one would be good.
229444
You need to find a good attorney, specializing in probate.\nShe may be breaking the law by not bringing the will into view by your father's heirs.  That is, you or anyone else who is direct family.\n\nAmazing how people are.  In your  father's death, you OWN   "blood" would treat you like that.  \n\nOf course I don't know your history with you sister, but in the case of your father passing, you would think differences would be cast aside for a time.\n\nBut, I am learning people are mean, selfish, and love to see others in pain.  And when it comes to money, they are ruthless.  Even those 'civilized ones' of affluent status. \n\nJust look around you and you can count on one finger the people who are happy, and content.
199619
If you haven't co-signed for anything than you wouldn't be responsible. Check the laws that govern where you live though. The estate pays the bills, then anything that is left, is divided between the heirs, or according to the will.
411683
If you were left with an inheritance, you would get a letter in the mail that would say that. If you know that you are supposed to get an inheritance but you didn't get any indication of it, then you should get your lawyer (if you have one) to contact whoever left the inheritance's lawyer.
49594
I doubt you will find a pro bono attorney for a probate matter, although you can start by calling your local legal aid society.\n\nProbate attorneys are typically paid out of the assets of the estate at or near the end of the case, so you shouldn't have to worry about paying them out of pocket as the case moves along.  Probate fees are usually set by state law rather than on an hourly basis, meaning you should be able to know up front whta the finally total will be for attorney fees.
872420
Not being an attorney, I would believe it goes something like this:\n\nIf you mother dies, you believe she has a will but have not seen it. SHe would have a copy, likely in her papers or safe deposit box. If you have no access, you contact an attorney to help. They will get a judge to declare an executor and the heirs because there is no known will. There may be taxes and fees involved. If no will is found, there is no will. \n\nIt seems that you believe that the lawyer has the only legal copy...they do not. They have a security copy to prove you mother's is not corrupted. It is your mother responsibility to appoint an executor to execute the will in her name. The executor shoudl know this before hand...and perhaps the location of the will, but not the contents of the will. \n\nThe attorney or judge could pulish in a law journal for known wills of people too.
853791
Are you in the US?  If so, someone needs to go to the county courthouse in the county where father lived and file for probate.  The probate or clerk's office should have the forms you need.  Once you file for probate, you will need to distribute father's assets and pay his debts in accordance with the intestate laws of the state where father lived.\n\nTo find out the procedure, google the following:\nintestate probate statename\n\nUsually, if there is a surviving spouse, that person is entitled to 1/3-1/2 of the total estate and the rest is distributed to any children of the deceased.  Before any funds can be distributed, however, the debts of the deceased would need to be paid.
1081593
Anytime you have something of value, or CHILDREN....it is so important if you have children.....My sons dad passed away January of last year, age 47 and he had no will......His family took him to court after 19 years of "loving him" coming to Birthday Partys, etc for 19 years, and wanted proof that he was his fathers son - we won in court - but cover yourself - ok - for children involved.
464417
An estate or family law lawyer can help.  Call your local Bar Association for a listing of attorneys in your area.
1018119
If there are a lot of assets to divide avoid all of the bickering between relatives leave it all to me.....LOL no but really find a good estate planning attorney or whatever type of attorney that handles such matters there are plenty of them out there. just do your will and final testament and keep him/his firm on retainer for any changes alterations of which I'm sure there Will be and clearly state your intentions to avoid legal battles after your passing