The Task of Taking on Probate without Legal Help and What That Means for You
April 16th, 2020 in Estate Administration, Estate Planning, and Probate
Probate without Legal Help
With the power of Google and YouTube combined, we can pretty much take on any task, even build a house from the very trees in our backyard. As we continue to advance in technology, we’re opting for less human touch and more convenience provided at the touch of a finger. And boy do we have news! The estate administration process will soon allow you to file everything online, but … that’ll be some lightyears away. Nonetheless, the news is out! Some people seek to do Probate without Legal Help.
In the meantime, you’re still subject to direct human connection. I know! The anxiety!
The Self-Diagnosed Patient
One thing to note, as heavily as we depend on search engines and videos to guide us if we persist enough, we’ll become much like a physician’s worst nightmare: a self-diagnosed patient. And we all know the confusion that’ll arise when we have an endless supply of information that may guide us well or right into the pit of failure.
It’s often enough that when we work with individuals who’ve taken on probate alone in the past, they start to realize certain important aspects of probate that the courts never brought up and it was never completed – which brings so many things full circle at the moment. The question you’ll have to ask yourself is, “Is it worth doing on my own if it means it’ll come back to bite me down the road”.
Doing It on Your Own
Furthermore, if you’ve met with a clerk, it’s likely you’ve been served the phrase (if you didn’t notice it on the wall of each clerk’s office), “We don’t give legal advice”. What that entails is talking to you about what NC Statute requires and doesn’t require to address a specific matter of the estate and why. As many former Administrators and Executors boast after taking on an estate alone, “I feel like I can transition from my current career to any career now – knowing what I know and having done what I’ve done.” Let this paint the reality of what it means to run with the ball on your own. Sometimes, it’s just easier to accept that it’s going to take a village to make something work out.
With our trusted resources and experienced estate administration team, we aim to do nothing more than to help put you on the right path. Even if you don’t engage one, it’s worth sitting down with an attorney to know what is required of you to successfully close out the estate.
We encourage you to set the phone down and see what it means to have direct and applicable knowledge on your side, by sitting down with one of our attorneys at NC Planning.