Bite-Sized Bits of Knowledge

Your Florida Probate Guide: Who Are the Parties to a Will and Probate Administration?

Since you are visiting this page, it’s likely you are either planning to avoid probate or about to go through it. In either case, you’re in the right place to learn about the parties to a will and probate administration, and get answers to other common probate questions.

Let’s start by talking about the various parties, then dive into probate in general.

Who are the parties to a will and probate administration process?

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Who exactly are all of those people? What do they do? What do you need to know about them? This post defines those parties in more detail and explains their roles:

Now that you understand who is involved in the will and probate administration process, let’s go over probate as a whole.

What follows is an outline of the process with a variety of resources, including text, video, and a Prezi presentation (modern day PowerPoint).

revocable living trust

1. Introduction to Probate

What exactly is probate? In short, it’s the legal process of administering a dead person’s estate. Generally, this means:

  • Proving their will is valid
  • Determining and inventorying their property
  • Appraising that property
  • Paying any taxes and debts
  • Distributing any property that remains as directed by the will (or, in the absence of a will, by state law)

As you might imagine, probate requires a fair bit of paperwork and court appearances by attorneys.

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2. What To Do After a Loved One’s Death; A Post-Death Checklist

 

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This is something pretty much everyone should know, but very few of us do – because no one wants to think about it.

Whether you are planning in advance and want to be prepared – or have recently suffered a loss and simply need answers, we hope that this easy-to-use checklist will be helpful.

3. The Probate Process Prezi Presentation

 

If you want to know the answer to “What is probate in Florida?” in terms of the process from beginning to end, this presentation is incredibly useful. 

It clearly defines key terms and processes, laying out the law in a way that makes it more digestible and easier to understand.

4. What’s an Estate?

 

what is an estate

When most people hear “estate,” they imagine something like the mansion in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. A giant, sprawling home that is clearly worth millions of dollars. In other words, not something that is part of their world.

This, however, couldn’t be further from what is meant by “estate” in a legal sense.

5. What’s Estate Administration?

 

what is an estate

What is estate administration in Florida? Probate. What is probate in Florida? Estate administration.

In other words, these are two words that mean the same thing. The below blog post dives into a bit more specific detail on probate processes and terms that we have already discussed above.

6. Types of Probate: Formal vs. Summary Administration

 

Types-of-Estate-Administration

Probate is not a monolith. Certain types of probate can be faster and more streamlined. Others are more complicated and take longer.

In the below post, we cover the differences between formal probate and summary administration.

As you can see, probate can be quite complicated. If you have further questions about how the process works – or how to avoid it – do not hesitate to reach out.

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