As manager of the estate, you are responsible for handling the decedent’s assets and debts during the probate process until they are transferred to the beneficiaries or heirs.  You have a fiduciary duty to the estate, meaning you must treat it with the utmost care, exercising a high level of attention and restraint. As you go through the probate process, all assets must be kept separate from anyone else’s. Financial accounts opened to hold assets must be opened in the name of the estate. These accounts must be interest-bearing or there could be consequences. The authority given to an executor […]

The cost for filing a Spousal or Domestic Partner Property Petition is less than a Petition for Probate as there are not as many documents to file, or requirements to complete this type of case. Here is a list of fees:

Petition filing fee: Filing a Spousal or Domestic Partner Property Petition requires a filing fee of $450.00 payable to the Riverside Superior Court. Unlike the filing fee for the traditional Petition for Probate, this fee will be paid once, only when the petition is first filed.  The reason is that there is only one hearing needed for the Spousal or […]

Petition For Probate of Will and Letters Testamentary or Petition For Letters of Administration. What’s the Difference?   Dictionary.com defines “testate” as having made and left a valid will. A valid will is used to distribute property after death and directs how this is to be accomplished. After a person dies, their will is filed with the court to be used as the basis for how the probate will proceed. When a probate is initiated with a valid will, a probate of Will and Letters Testamentary is usually filed in the county where the deceased person resided or where they left […]