Allentown, PA Probate Lawyer

If you live in or near Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are grieving the recent death of a family member, we’re sorry for your loss. Losing a loved one can be incredibly difficult emotionally, but it can also be difficult legally if your loved one did not have an estate plan in place. Their assets – their house, their bank accounts, etc. – will likely have to go through a Pennsylvania court process known as probate, or estate administration, before you or any of their other beneficiaries can receive them. Understanding how probate works can be confusing. Our Allentown probate lawyer will work with you to navigate and simplify the probate process so you and your family can have peace of mind!

How Probate Works In Pennsylvania

Probate is a legal process that may need to occur after someone passes away in the state of Pennsylvania. Essentially, probate is how a person’s possessions and money that they owned in their name are legally transferred to their heirs’ names. It is notoriously time-consuming (it can take several months or even over two years for a resolution to be reached) and expensive (court costs, taxes, and filing fees can amount to thousands of dollars).

If the total value of your loved one’s estate was less than $50,000, you can request to go through a simplified form of probate; otherwise, you may have to go through traditional probate before you can settle your deceased loved one’s estate. If there was no will left behind, Pennslyvania’s “intestacy” laws will determine how the probate process proceeds. If there was a will, the personal representative or executor named in the document will be appointed to oversee the process of distributing the assets. They will have many legal responsibilities to carry out and deadlines to meet before the probate case can be closed.

What Can Our Allentown Probate Lawyer Do For You?

When you are mourning, dealing with legal paperwork is the last thing that you probably want to be doing. If you have been named as the legal representative, the duties you have need to be handled with care; any mistakes made along the way can lead to your personal liability (leave you vulnerable to lawsuits), result in additional fines, or prolong the process. That’s why it’s important to have the guidance of a legal professional who is knowledgeable about probate and estate planning law. Working with an attorney can make probate easier, less stressful, and less expensive! Attorney Joshua N. Daly, our lead Allentown probate lawyer, can take you every step of the way through the process. He will…

• Take the time to listen to you and get to know you so he can provide compassionate, personalized advice
• Determine whether your loved one’s estate will need to go through probate at all
• Explain your legal options in a way that’s easy for you to understand
• Answer your questions about the probate process
• File the will with the court of the county in which the deceased person lived (on your behalf)
• File a petition for probate (on your behalf)
• Get sworn statements from the will’s witnesses (if the will isn’t self-proving) and file them with the court (on your behalf)
• Give written notice to the will’s beneficiaries and creditors (on your behalf)
• Take inventory and appraise your deceased loved one’s assets (on your behalf)
• File an estate tax return and pay taxes (when appropriate, on your behalf)
• Negotiate/settle debts with creditors and pay them (on your behalf)
• Prepare a final accounting (on your behalf)
• Distribute assets to heirs and beneficiaries (on your behalf)
• And more.

If your loved one was like most Allentown residents, they probably did not realize that making an estate plan could have saved you and your family from having to endure the burden of probate, or perhaps they simply ran out of time. Our law firm can help you plan ahead today and get the right legal tools in place so that when you pass away, your family doesn’t have to worry about probate at all and can bypass the process entirely.

Why Choose Daly Law Offices

Attorney Joshua N. Daly has 14 years of experience leading grieving Pennsylvania families through the probate process. His skill and reputation for excellence has earned him membership of the prestigious National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PA l ELA), and Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley, in addition to being awarded the Lawyers of Distinction 2022. When you work with our Allentown probate lawyer, you will receive an unmatched level of committed attention and quality service. Daly Law Offices provides practical solutions, professional integrity, and peace of mind for all of our clients! We’re focused on you and helping you move past the legalities of probate so you can move forward with your life. Call today to book your free consultation and discover more about how we can assist you with your probate needs.