Short answer is no. If she has no assets to be probated , and no will to be admitted, there’s no need to open an probate estate in the court. Absent opening an estate in probate court, there’s no legal requirement to publish notice to creditors as they can only file claims against probate assets.

Your 'next steps' probably depend on the retainer agreement you signed.

Yes, you CAN always change lawyers, but bear in mind:

1) You're complaining about a (less than) one week delay in mailing paperwork,

2) Nothing CAN be done during that 14 day waiting... View More

If the reason to look for a different attorney is dissatisfaction with the timeline so far, I think your concern may be a bit unfounded at this point. It is not unusual for notices to go out, and then proof of service of those notices to be sent to the court later. 14 days is 14 days, but you also... View More

Most likely yes. You have a duty to act in the best interests of the estate and heirs and devisees. You also have a duty to provide reasonable information about the estate and estate property to the heirs and devisees of the estate, especially information pertaining to the financial condition of... View More

Based on the information given in your question, it sounds as if the deed to mom and daughter conveyed the property to them as tenants in common. If this is the case, then some type of Michigan probate procedure will need to be used to transfer mom's interest. Your best bet is to contact a... View More

Real estate and probate matters very frequently intersect. You need to first confirm that you have authority from the court to transfer or convey real estate out of an estate. If you do, then the personal representative has authority to create a deed during the pendency of a probate estate... View More

If I’m understanding your question, you would like to know what responsibility the attorney who drafted the will has after the death of the testator. Generally, the answer is none. The proximity of death to the execution of the will may or may not be relevant, but it is not absolute. The drafting... View More

A Michigan attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for two weeks. I'm sorry for your ordeal. You could reach out to attorneys to discuss, but keep in mind that law firms that handle injury cases might not consider something like this on a contingency basis. There is also the... View More

It's unclear from the question whether your brother was a remainderman on a lady bird deed (he only became owner when your mother passed) or whether your brother was a joint tenant with your mother, who had right of survivorship. Either way, if your brother survived your mother, the house... View More

There is no "right" answer. Assuming the personal representative has notified the beneficiaries, it may be reasonable to assume the beneficiaries do not want the items. No one is required to take anything. If these are personal property items, most wills would allow for the PR to... View More

The directions given to you by the drafting attorney are correct. When an attorney drafts estate plan documents for a client, the attorney owes the client the duty of confidentiality, even after death. After a client's death, the only person who can waive confidentiality for the client is the... View More

It all depends on what you didn’t do.

Your BEST option will be to hire a local probate attorney to help you complete everything. That attorney can look at all the facts and help you understand and ideally also ‘fix’ the problems.

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answered on Jul 8, 2022

Most probate attorneys do not include tax compliance as part of the engagement, but some do. The bottom line is you should discuss this with your probate attorney so that you have clarity regarding who is going to take care of that.

If the vehicle is titled in Ohio, I recommend that you hold out for an answer from an attorney in Ohio. I am not, so I am going to give a brief answer based on Michigan law.

I do not see a reason to agree to have a lien evidenced on the title. However, if the vehicle is titled to your... View More

Do these items have significant value or will they be an issue in how the estate is divided?

At most ‘misc. personal/household goods’ is probably fine but … there are probably lots of other pitfalls that you’re not considering.

I’d strongly recommend you consult with a... View More

Probate courts has subject matter jurisdiction over name changes.

The 'priority' for appointment is based on the Michigan Probate statute. If there is a will, the person named in the will has priority. If there is no will a surviving spouse does. If there is no surviving spouse all surviving children have equal priority.

If you don't... View More

By "a wife's rights to everything", I'm assuming you mean the surviving spouse's right to a share of an intestate estate. Generally speaking, if the husband dies leaving a probate estate and leaves a surviving spouse, the surviving spouse is entitled to the first $240,000... View More

Her adoption status will not matter if it was a step-parent adoption; she is both the child of your common parent as well as her step-dad's, and can take from both estates. Likewise, half siblings are treated the same as any other child under the law.

Whether she's entitled to... View More

Yes, there is nothing illegal about that, however employees of the assisted living facility should not serve as witnesses to the signatures on the patient advocate designation.