If you work with a probate lawyer, you should not have to pay you anything in advance or during the administration process. Instead, your ordinary fees will be deducted from the estate as part of a request for final distribution. The estate is responsible for covering probate attorneys' fees. The executor or administrator does not pay anything upfront or owe it.
Unless you're dealing with an Affidavit Procedure, you'll almost certainly want legal representation when establishing the validity of a will. Some states, such as California, regulate probate attorney fees through law, prohibiting probate lawyers from charging more than a certain percentage of the value of gross estate. So what options do you have to pay for the probate process when your loved one dies without a plan to avoid probate? Washington's probate statute instructs lawyers to charge reasonable prices when negotiating a flat or hourly rate. A probate attorney's fees (and most other estate costs) are paid out of the estate, so your family won't have to worry about who pays probate fees and won't have to spend money out of pocket.
Contrary to the name, this option does involve probate courts, so it would be prudent to hire a probate lawyer, which does include related costs. The probate lawyer accepts a contingency fee in a probate case, who believes he can get a substantial amount of money for his clients. Here in Washington, probate is fairly straightforward, and there are two simplified options when it comes to probate probate. Because there is no standardized schedule for probate fees across the country, just like attorneys' fees, the cost will vary depending on where you are.
Because much of the typical probate case is just standard paperwork, most lawyers use paralegals to help them. Legal aid clinics can put you in touch with a probate lawyer willing to attend to your legal matters at little or no cost. In an estate that cannot pay the lawyer even after the executor has been appointed, then an attorney requires an advance payment. But again, accounting and probate attorney fees will ultimately reduce the total value of your estate.
Remember that there is no need to hire an estate attorney during the process, but if you are an administrator or executor of an estate, you may want to talk to an attorney for advice.
