Ancillary probate is a process that estate administrators must manage when a deceased person owns property in a state other than the one where they resided at the time of their death. This secondary probate proceeding is necessary to manage and distribute the...
Estate Administration & Probate
When a personal representative doesn’t fulfill their duties
Serving as the personal representative of an estate is a difficult job. People give up quite a bit of their personal time to attend probate court, communicate with interested parties and manage estate resources. The entire process often requires more than a year of...
Handling grief and responsibility as a personal representative
Nothing prepares you for the loss of a parent, no matter how old you get. Amid such immense grief, you can feel overwhelmed to find out that your parent had named you their personal representative in the will. On one hand, it can feel like an honor to be handpicked...
What if you disagree with the guardian named for a minor child?
If you disagree with who has been appointed guardian of a minor child named in that child’s parent's will, there are several steps you can take to address your concerns. Contesting a guardianship can be a sensitive and complex process, but understanding your legal...
Pros and cons of equal estate distribution
Adult children often assume that a parent’s estate is going to be split up equally. For instance, if someone has three children and $300,000 in the bank, those children may assume that they would all get $100,000. If two of them only got $10,000 and the other child...
Do you need more than one power of attorney?
While making an estate plan, you may want to include a power of attorney. By using this document, you can authorize an agent to make decisions for you. If you become incapacitated and you can’t make those decisions on your own, the legal ability passes to a person of...
How should the representative of an estate handle estate debts?
Estate administration is as much about fulfilling someone's obligations as it is about establishing their legacy. In Oklahoma, the personal representative handling estate administration has numerous personal responsibilities to fulfill. The failure to perform certain...
Who is the right guardian for your child?
Estate planning involves making numerous important decisions about who inherits your assets upon your death. A will can largely address these issues. However, a will can also serve other key functions such as naming guardians for your minor children. A guardian is a...
3 issues someone can address in an advance health care directive
An Oklahoma estate plan doesn't just provide guidance for someone's funeral and instructions for handing out their property after they die. A thorough estate plan can also include numerous other documents that may take effect while someone is still alive. Incapacity...
A shocking percentage of adults do not have a will or estate plan
Most Oklahomans understand that estate planning is an important process. They know that a will protects their loved ones, and that other estate planning documents can protect them as well. Especially if someone has children or significant personal property, they...