Probate

Florida Probate Attorney

You may have heard or read about how to “avoid probate" and you may have concluded that there are actually ways to avoid having your estate probated after your death. Probate is simply the term used for the legal process used in Florida for to pass assets to heirs. The vast majority of estates do not escape the probate process. At the Law Offices of Laurence A. Wanshel, our probate and estate administration lawyers are well equipped to handle all probate matters: from simple will and trust estate administration cases to complex probate litigation, involving will contests and disputes over the distribution of trust assets.

We are particularly well-equipped to quickly clear title to property in probate, allowing the surviving heirs to refinance or transfer title to the property. Our firm has the capacity to handle the probate of any sized estate; whether the deceased left a will or died intestate (the deceased did not leave a will). If you have been named the personal representative of the estate of a Florida resident who has died, please contact our office. We will answer all your questions and help you begin the probate case.

Will Contests and Other Probate Litigation

Will and trust contests arise when a beneficiary under the will tries to have a will or trust invalidated on any number of possible grounds, e.g.:

Lack of Proper Formalities: If the will or trust instrument fails to comply with the legal formalities required under Florida law, the probate court may determine that it is not valid.
Lack of Capacity: If it appears that the decease made the will or established the trust after losing the capacity to make legal decisions, the will or trust may be invalid.
Undue Influence: The deceased may have written or changed their will or trust as a result of trickery, manipulation or undue influence, resulting in invalidation.

If you have fears that you or a member of your family may be disinherited because of the influence of a new friend in your relative's life, contact us for an appointment with our knowledgeable lawyers. It is possible that problems can be alleviated before any harm is done.