Santa Clarita Probate Lawyer Jane McNamara

Probate

Probate is the court process of transferring assets of a deceased person to the individuals, charities, or institutions entitled to receive those assets. The process typically takes approximately nine months to complete.

There are basically three main functions of the probate process:

Collection of the decedent’s assets
Payment of debts and taxes
Distribution of the estate assets.

If a person passes away, it must be determined whether a probate is required. Under certain circumstances, probate is the only way to collect and transfer the assets to the intended heirs.

We assist individuals with evaluating whether or not a probate proceeding is necessary, or if other means can be used to collect and distribute the decedent’s assets. If probate is required, our office represents the “executor” (also called a “personal representative”) through the court process and legal requirements.