PROBATE ESTATES

Sometimes, a Court Order is necessary to properly distribute Estate Assets located in Florida. The Probate process is a Court-supervised process to identify and gather the Decedent’s assets, pay any taxes, claims and expenses and distribute the Estate assets to its Beneficiaries. JUPITER LAW CENTER can assist with the processing of a Probate Estate anywhere in Florida, whether or not you reside in Florida. We understand that this is often a time of great stress on the Decedent’s family and friends, and we will try to make the process as quick and painless as possible.

Below are a few interesting facts about the Probate Process:

• In PROBATE, the person who dies is called the DECEDENT.

• If a Decedent dies without a Will, it is said that he/she died INTESTATE. If the Decedent is not survived by any children, the entire ESTATE passes to the Surviving Spouse. If there is no Surviving Spouse or children,
  then the Estate assets pass according to an INTESTACY STATUTE which dictates certain relatives as the beneficiaries.

• A WILL does not become effective until the Decedent dies and, therefore, a Beneficiary of the Will has no vested property rights and cannot enforce the BEQUEST (Personal Property)
  or DEVISE (Real Estate) contained in the Will.

• A Life Insurance Policy payable to a specific beneficiary is not a PROBATE ASSET unless the policy is payable to the Decedent's Estate.