Q: What is the best thing to do when you're feeling left out and taken advantage of. Probate case in Texas

A: If the case has been filed for probate, you can find the documents online among the Dallas County Probate Court records. Even after all the proper documents have been filed and all the beneficiaries notified, it can take a few weeks to get a hearing. After the hearing a Notice to [Unsecured] Creditors must be published in the newspaper. Those creditors are given four months from the date of publication to submit a claim. Executors are generally advised not to distribute anything until after those four months have passed: they are personally liable if the estate owes money and, having distributed it, they cannot get it back from the beneficiaries. Five months is too soon to expect to receive an inheritance. While probate can be much faster in Texas, nationwide it can take two years to settle an estate.

A: To avoid the anxiety you are experiencing, and to know that your interests are protected, you can hire an attorney to enter an appearance on your behalf. He or she would then be notified by the executor's attorney every time something is filed in the case. If it is an independent administration there may not be much filed in the case, but the executor's attorney is more likely to keep your attorney in the loop, and he or she can take action to protect your interests in property, demand accountings, and so forth if needs be. If there are no problems, your attorney's fee should not be terribly expensive.