Probate & Guardianship
Orlando Probate Attorney
Probate is a court-supervised process for ensuring that a deceased person’s assets are properly distributed after their death. Assets are used first to pay the cost of the probate proceeding, then outstanding debts, and the remainder is then distributed to the beneficiaries.
In Florida, there are two types of probate administration: formal administration and summary administration. In limited circumstances, there is also a non-court supervised administration which distributes personal property.
Debra G. Simms is an Orlando Probate Attorney dedicated to helping you wind up the financial affairs of your loved ones. In many cases, the cost of formal administration can be avoided by proper identification of non-probate assets.
What is The Probate Process?
Probate documents are filed with the Clerk of the Court in the county where the deceased person lived at the time of death. Orders from the Judge will be required to approve the personal representative, determine which assets are exempt, ensure that creditors are paid, distribute assets to the beneficiaries, and close the probate estate.
In most cases, no appearance is required before the Judge; however, if disputes arise during the course of administration, the Judge will hold a hearing as necessary to resolve the matter in question.
Orlando Attorney Debra G. Simms will help you make sense of the Probate process:
- Guiding you through the Probate process
- Rights of the Surviving Spouse and Children
- Estate’s Obligation to Creditors
- How long does the Probate process take?
- What if there is no will?
- What if there is a Revocable Trust?
Our Orlando probate office is open during weekly office hours. We also offer evening and weekend hours. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.