Smart Estate Planning.

When you are thinking ahead you are usually thinking smart.  Planning for the future of your family after you are gone is certainly no exception.  Who makes those future vital decisions that celebrate a life well lived?  Start with a clearly crafted, will written with all of the i’s dotted and t’s crossed and you have already achieved great peace of mind.

Some things to remember as you do –

1.  Don’t forget life insurance.  You don’t want expenses to pile up on your loved ones.

2.  We recommend durable powers of attorney so that someone can manage your financial affairs and make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated.

3.  Discuss probate with your attorney.  Probate in Washington State CAN be as simple as filling out some forms and paying a few hundred dollars to have the papers filed.

All of this is the purvey of an experienced attorney.  That is why you call on the veteran expertise of someone who has been dealing with estates in the Seattle area for 35 years.  That man is Lyle M. Clark Jr. - a professional estate planning attorney located in Bellevue WA.  Call him on matters of estate planning from start to finish at (425) 452-3092.

Drafting a Proper Will in the State of Washington.

Drafting a will is like pre-arranging a funeral.  Nobody wants to think about it, but those that plan ahead are saving their loved ones a great deal of angst in the future.  Why even draft a will?  Well, what happens to a lifetime of possessions is out of your control if you don’t.  Now is the time to protect the people you care about the most from an uncertain financial future.

Fortunately, in Washington state if a will has to go to probate because property is involved the process is less expensive and less complicated than in other areas of the country.  In other states the courts get involved in the process.  In the Evergreen state the courts keep their nose out of the proceedings unless there are issues that are being contested.

Before you begin the process of drafting a will know this - it is a complex and important process.  You definitely should seek the assistance of a lawyer.  Once you have made the correct decision then be careful and choose the right one.  Attorney Lyle Clark has been practicing estate and probate law for more than 35 years.  Enough said…experience counts.  Call Lyle Clark today at (425) 452-3092.

What is the Probate Process?

Very simply probate is a legal process that may be required after an individual passes away.  Here are the steps that must be taken during probate:

1.  You must petition the Superior Court to be appointed as personal representative and prove in court that the deceased person’s will is valid.

2.  You must identify and make an inventory of the decedent’s property.

3.  You must have assigned a value to all of the property, which may mean that you will need to have it appraised.

4.  You must pay from the estate’s funds all taxes and other obligations relating to the property and any other debts owed by the deceased individual at the time of death.

The executor of the will must manage all of the assets during the probate process.  Because title to property does not transfer automatically, even a perfectly drafted will does not avoid the need for probate in order to obtain clear title to the assets. However, if the decedent signed a community property agreement, it may be possible to avoid probate upon the death of the first spouse.

Seattle probate attorney Lyle Clark can prepare wills, powers of attorney and healthcare directives for you.  If you are proactive you can avoid a great deal of time and expense in the future.  Rely on the 35+ years of experience that Attorney Clark has had with estate planning and probate.  Set up a meeting at his Bellevue office today by giving him a call at (425) 452-3092.

Working with a Probate Lawyer.

When you hire a probate lawyer you will feel better knowing that an expert is handling the paperwork involved in settlement of the estate.  In the case of probate this entails preparing and filing paperwork in court proceedings.  However, the personal representative also has duties. You will be required to provide your attorney any outstanding bills so that creditors can be notified concerning the need to file claims.  It will also be your responsibility to gather and safeguard assets as well as to continue to pay outstanding bills relating to maintenance of a house, if any, and to approve and pay any creditors claims out of estate funds.

Wrapping up an estate always involves sorting through the deceased individual’s papers.  Then you must reach out to various agencies and institutions.  This is where communication with your attorney is essential.  How much of this work do you want the attorney to do and how much do you wish to take on?

Attorney Lyle Clark of Bellevue, Washington, knows how difficult it is to find the right person that you can trust with the most intimate details of your loved one’s life.  He has had over 35 years of experience in the Seattle area navigating through the issues of probate.  At this most important time call Attorney Lyle Clark at his Bellevue office at (425) 452-3092.