Probate

What is Probate?

Probate involves the filing of a petition to the court having jurisdiction over the deceased person. The court appoints a "Personal Representative" (also known as an "Executor" or "Administrator") to be responsible for the administration of the property of the deceased person. The Personal Representative is authorized to transfer and distribute the deceased person's property to the rightful heirs or beneficiaries. The Personal Representative is required by law to notify all heirs (whether they are getting property or not) of the appointment and the beginning of the probate proceeding. In addition, the Personal Representative may choose the option of sending notices to creditors of the deceased person to inform them of the death and to begin the statute of limitations for the creditors to file a claim. The Personal Representative prepares an inventory of the deceased person's assets. Personal Representatives also have legal obligations to prepare appropriate income and as applicable, estate tax returns for the United States Internal Revenue Service and comparable revenue agencies in the deceased person's state of residence.

Chang Law Group PC represents Personal Representatives (Executors) to obtain the Letters Testamentary and other court-ordered powers for the Personal Representatives to administer the estate. We are experienced in assisting you and your tax-advisor to prepare and file the Estate Tax Return 706. If the assets of the deceased are held under a living trust, we can assist the successor trustee to administer to trust provisions in funding credit shelter trust as well as analyzing tax issues in allocating assets between testamentary trusts. 

If you are interested in knowing more about probate or wish to begin the probate of an estate, please contact Vivien K. Chang. A complimentary copy of "Death of a Loved One" written by the Estate Planning Council of Seattle and our Probate questionnaire will be sent to you upon your request for information about beginning probate of an estate. You can also click on the link below to download our Probate Questionnaire using Adobe Acrobat.

Starting a Probate Proceeding

This questionnaire is designed to gather information about the deceased and the assets of the estate to allow the attorney to expedite the preparation of court documents and to analyze the complexity of the estate.
Disclaimer: Chang Law Group PC only provides legal advice after having entered into an attorney client relationship, which our website specifically does not create. Unless otherwise stated by a representative of Chang Law Group PC, only after having entered into a written, signed agreement with Chang Law Group PC will an attorney-client relationship have been created. It is imperative that any action taken be done on specific advice of counsel. Because every case is different, the general information provided herein may not be applicable to everyone and the law could have been changed at any time prior to an update of the website.

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