By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm Yes, executor compensation is real, it is legal, and you have almost certainly earned every penny of it. Serving as a personal representative is…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm Yes, selling house in probate is possible, and families do it successfully every single day. As an estate planning and elder law attorney who…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm A transfer on death deed lets you pass your home directly to your beneficiaries without probate court, and it's one of the simplest estate…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm Formal probate means court supervision at every step of estate administration, with a probate judge overseeing your decisions, requiring multiple hearings, and approving each…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm Assets owned solely in your name without beneficiary designations go through probate, but jointly owned property, retirement accounts with named beneficiaries, and assets in…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm You can use ChatGPT to learn probate basics, gather questions for your attorney consultation, and understand what documents you need before spending a dime…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm You can avoid probate by using strategies like revocable trusts, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and transfer-on-death deeds to keep your assets out of probate…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm Small estate probate lets you settle a loved one's estate in weeks instead of months, often for under $1,500 instead of thousands in full…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm A will guarantees your family goes through probate court. A revocable living trust sidesteps that entire legal process. After over two decades of helping…
By Christopher W. Dumm, J.D., Founder & Principal Attorney, The Law Offices of Christopher W. Dumm Probate takes 6 to 24 months in most cases, though some estates close faster and others stretch beyond two years. If you just lost…