If you’re looking for an estate planning attorney in Rio Rancho, NM, we’re here to help.
Imagine an average person spends 12 hours, $14k, and a year of their life dealing with the estate and probate settlement processes. These processes are already confusing. Add executrixes, executors, simple and formal administration, and small estate affidavits; you have jargon and procedures that can make your head spin.
We understand your predicament, which is why we at Cristy J. Carbon-Gaul, offer our legal services.
What happens in a probate proceeding in Rio Rancho?
Probate starts with contacting the court and culminates with filing death certificates, paying estate taxes, and officially distributing assets to rightful heirs.
Probate helps protect surviving family members and heirs from unauthorized claims against their inherited estate. It also handles estate taxes, funeral arrangements, and death certificates. Having a Rio Rancho attorney help you with all this is best.
After contacting the court, the next step is finding someone who can act as the decedent’s representative. If the decedent left a will, submit it to the court. After which, you must forward an inventory and valuation of all assets. The beneficiaries and the court need to approve it. Once approved, the distribution of assets follows.
Who has jurisdiction over probate cases in Rio Rancho?
The District Court oversees probate court-related matters in Rio Rancho and the rest of New Mexico, where a law office in Rio Rancho can assist you. The Municipal Court of Rio Rancho is the registered Sandoval County probate court. Typically, there’s one district court for each county, but there are instances where a county has multiple probate courts and courthouses.
What is the role of a personal representative or executor of an estate?
If you’re the appointed personal representative or executor of an estate, you’ll be responsible for the following:
- File a probate petition at the probate court where the deceased resided before their death
- Decide if there are probate assets
- Locate and manage probate assets
- Appraise the assets of the estate
- Get in touch with a trust and estate planning law office and work with the beneficiaries and heirs
- Receive payments and pay estate taxes
- Set up an Estate Tax ID (EIN) and checking account
- Interpret the will
- In the absence of a will, distribute the assets following the law
- Notify estate creditors
- Pay funeral bills
- File estate tax returns
- Submit death certificate
- Submit distribution receipts
- Close the estate
To complete all these tasks satisfactorily, seek the help of a law office in Rio Rancho that can assist you in navigating the local legal system.
The law office of Cristy J. Carbon-Gaul can also assist you in the following practice areas:
Seek the Help of a Seasoned Probate Lawyer
Save yourself the hassle of going through these proceedings by yourself. Get a lawyer to assist you in ensuring that you fulfill the decedent’s wishes.
When you let the pro handle the legal matter, you’ll have more time to deal with essential tasks like communicating with the other heirs and ensuring smooth estate distribution and transition from generation to generation.
The next time you look for an estate planning attorney in Rio Rancho, NM, reach out to The Law Office of Cristy J. Carbon-Gaul.