Estate Planning

Jacksonville Florida: A Cautionary Tale, will your Will be Admitted to Probate?

By David M. Goldman

[Florida Probate: The court supervised process of gathering the deceased person's assets and distributing them to their beneficiaries.]

You know the importance of having your last will and testament prepared. -You've heard those ads telling you to prepare your will yourself.-You think that having an attorney prepare your will is too expensive.

You should know this. Not having a Jacksonville Attorney either prepare your will or review what you have prepared from those "do your will yourself" kits will cost you and your family in the end.

As a Florida probate attorney I have seen many wills that have been prepared without the assistance of an attorney. In many instances, these wills, although accurately reflecting the intent and wishes of the testator, (person who makes the will) have not been prepared according to the strict provisions set out by the Florida Statutes.

When a Will has not been executed and signed per Florida Law, you may have a hard time having that Will admitted to the Probate Court as a valid Will. If the Will is not admitted, then the provisions made in the Will directing how one's property and assets are to be distributed, may not be honored. That is when it will end up costing you in Attorney fees.

Contact a Jacksonville Will attorney. You will be pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive it is to have your Florida Will prepared.

Full post as published by Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog on March 18, 2011 (boomark / email).