Probate and Estate Administration

Probate - what is it? Much has been said on the Pittsburgh Elder Law Blog about the importance of creating a valid Will. Probate is the process through which the decedent's Last Will and Testament is filed of record with the Register of Wills office and authenticated....

In probate and estate administration, being the executor is a serious responsibility for Pittsburgh residents. An executor is the personal representative of the estate. It is the executor's responsibility to protect the decedent's assets, including the home, until...

The death of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, left a void in the music industry, with Pittsburgh residents, along with the rest of the country, playing her songs and watching her funeral with tears in their eyes. While her life and business dealings served as an...

Probate is an unfamiliar process for most Pennsylvania residents. While many may understand some of the basics of other areas of the law, such as criminal law or family law, probate and estate law can be daunting to even the most sophisticated of individuals. An...

Once Pennsylvania residents make the choice - the right choice - to begin crafting a comprehensive estate plan, it is important for them to realize that not just any documents will do. They need to make sure that they have the right documents for their own unique...

Most people probably know that they should have an estate plan, but many are reluctant to dive into this process because they believe it might be too complicated. But, while there may be complications to overcome and difficult decisions to make in the estate planning...

While most Pennsylvania residents think of their home, bank accounts and other investments when they approach estate planning, there may be a critical part of life that they aren't thinking about: their "digital assets." These assets, which can include online...

Probate is a legal term that some may not be familiar with. But, unlike many other areas of law, probate is an area that almost everyone will encounter at some point in life - or, at least, their assets will go through the probate process. When it comes to probate,...

Our readers who are familiar with probate and estate administration know that this is the area of law which deals with what happens to the assets of individuals who pass away and who have wills or trusts that direct who receives these assets and who is in charge of...

Many of our previous posts here have pointed out how estate planning can help Pennsylvania residents get piece of mind when they make a plan for how their assets will be distributed to their family members and close friends upon death. However, there are many...