While you might have the best of intentions when you create a will, or you think that everything will be divided up as agreed to based on a “verbal handshake,” you definitely want to think again. If you want your estate to be distributed exactly as you have envisioned, then you will want to make sure that everything is legal before it is too late. There are actually 5 reasons you don’t want a contested estate.
Family Infighting
The biggest reason that you don’t want a contested estate is not even a legal one, it is a family one. Money is the cause of many fights and nowhere is this more true than when an inheritance is involved. This can definitely be avoided and the family peace kept intact by having an Arlington Heights contested trust lawyer draw up a will for you beforehand.
Time Is Money
When an estate is contested, what immediately happens is that the estate has to spend money sorting out the protests. This is easily the costliest of the 5 reasons you don’t want a contested estate. It also essentially freezes the estate until it is sorted in court.
Public Knowledge
When an estate is contested, everything about it becomes a matter of public record. There are many times when an estate does not want certain things about it made available to the general public.
Court Involvement
When an estate is uncontested, things go rather quickly and smoothly. However, once a court gets involved, everything going forward must be approved by the court.
Unintended Disbursements
Another danger of a contested estate is the fact that assets might go to someone you did not want them to go to. This is a strong reason to hire an Arlington Heights contested trust lawyer to help prevent this.
Please contact Orlowsky & Wilson Ltd.
