Courtesy Law

Probate is the bureaucratic process under Virginia law which allows an Executor named in a will or an Administrator if there is no will to gather a person’s probate assets (those assets which are titled solely in that person’s name), pay the final debts of that person and the costs of the administration of the estate, and then distribute the remaining probate assets to the beneficiaries named in the will, or to the heirs-at-law of the deceased person according to the Virginia laws of descent and distribution if that person died without a will.  Under Virginia law there are several different versions of probate that may be used that depend on the size of the person’s probate estate, the value and type of the probate assets, the persons named as beneficiaries under the will or who are heirs-at-law if there is no will, and the persons who will qualify as Executor or Administrator.  Further discussion of the probate process is best accomplished in a personal consultation because of the numerous personal and family-specific issues that must be discussed.