In Maryland, the way you get Letters of Administration is by filing a Petition for Probate. That opens an estate. If the assets are all in non-probate assets, they get listed separately in the Information Report.

If you are asking whether you can have the proceeds from the sale of the house before you agree that the house should be sold, the answer is sort of obvious. But, perhaps the real issue here is that you don't trust the personal representative or their counsel. If so, you should retain your own... View More

You need to have a lawyer review the will, the inventory and the accountings filed in the estate, before any useful advice can be provided. The estate may not have the funds to maintain the house (mainenance, utilities, property taxes, homeowner's insurance, mortgage, etc.) for five years, so... View More

His oral promises before death are not sufficient. The bequest needs to be spelled out in the Will. The Will must be filed in the probate estate when the estate petition is filed. Until the estate is opened and the executor receives Letters of Administration from the court, the executor has no... View More

Yes, but you need to have a basis, and you provide zero facts to evaluate on what basis you would challenge his will.

Here are a couple of general observations that apply to all estates:

First, upon divorce, his former spouse lost all legal right to receive any distribution... View More

The law of the state of residence where the decedent dies governs. Appointment of an executor or personal repesentative is set forth by statute. In an estate with no will (known as an "intestate" estate) a typical state's satute would list, in order of priority, those persons who... View More

It might be wise for you to review the estate with counsel, because you, as personal representative, will be personally liable if you disburse too much or the disbursement violates the rights of some other beneficiary or creditor. But, you have broad discretion to create advances to beneficiaries.... View More

A POA is a legal instrument that appoints another person to act as the "attorney-in-fact" or agent of the person creating the POA (the "principal"), who can do things in the name of the principal as if they were the principal, to the extent set forth in the POA. The POA is only... View More

The answer will depend on the law where your brother was domiciled when he died. If he was living in Nevada, you need a Nevada lawyer. In all likelihood, by the most common intestate succession framework, his primary heirs are his spouse (whom you don’t mention) and his issue (the daughter).

Most revocable trusts name the creator of the trust, known as the grantor, as trustee. Once the grantor has died, the trust typically becomes irrevocable. The trust should provide for successor trustees. It is unclear what the nature of the trust is, if there are beneficiaries who are minors or... View More

Of course you can challenge the Will. It is not an easy process, but if there was undue influence, lack of capacity, or the signature isn't genuine, those are all grounds to caveat the Will. You will have no chance of success without legal counsel, and you will almost surely need to pay... View More

Yes. The alowance is in addition to the elective share. In adition, you reference the elective share "of the residual estate." The elective share is against "the value of the estate subject to election, reduced by the value of all spousal benefits" where "spousal... View More

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answered on Apr 6, 2022

The estate has a stepped up basis and can sell it and avoid capital gains assuming the net sale proceeds are equal to or less than the date of death value. If instead the estate distributes the house to you and then you sell it, the result is the same. You will get that same stepped up basis.... View More

You plainly need to file the newer Will, because it voids the older Will unless it is a codicil. I do not think this gives you a new case number, but it plainly requires a new petition and notices. This sounds complex enough that using a lawyer may help.

The executor is supposed to sell the house at fair market value to maximize its value to the estate. The executor can sell the house to anyone for that price, or at a lower price if all the heirs who are to receive a share agree. You do not say how many heirs the house is to be divided among.... View More

The Maryland Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act only applies to securities that have been registered with a beneficiary form that specifies a TOD beneficiary. While it may be possible to register a TOD beneficiary for an ownership interest in an LLC, it is not automatic. Most... View More

Yes, it is possible to assign your interest, but it will be treated as a gift from you to the other person. You should be careful not to "disclaim" your inheritance, as that would prevent your ability to direct the inheritance to anyone (the disclaimed inheritance would go to the next... View More

You can always decline an estate, but there may be much better ways to put property in the hands of your step-sister to avoid significant taxes. I assume your step-sister is from a union of your father with another mother, because if she is your mother’s daughter and your mother died intestate,... View More

Yes, the children of the pre-deceased siblings are heirs: they take the share of their deceased parent. Section 3-110 does not apply to this scenario and you misunderstand it. Section 3-110 simply states that anyone who dies within 30 days after the decedent shall be treated as if they died before... View More

Once an estate is opened, it is public record, and all proceedings and filings, including the Will, can be copied and obtained (they are available online, for download, through the Register of Wills' website, which has an estate search option you can search by decedent's name and county... View More