how to find a deceased parents lawyer

by Dessie Haley 7 min read

Locating a deceased person's lawyer may also lead to the discovery of family members or assets. Finding the lawyer requires research and detective work, but public records often aid the search. Courthouse Search Go to the county courthouse in the county where the deceased person lived.

Go to the county courthouse in the county where the deceased person lived. Search the civil litigation, family law and criminal court records by party name to see whether any records contain the deceased person's name.

Full Answer

How do I find a deceased lawyer's Lawyer?

Ask employees at the records clerk's office how to locate and access the file. Once you have the file, search it for the name of any lawyer or law firm that is listed as attorney of record for the deceased. Copy this information.

How to access the bank records of a deceased parent?

How to Access the Bank Records of a Deceased Parent. 1 Locate Your Parent’s Financial Records. This includes insurance accounts and banking statements. This is important so that any remaining financial ... 2 Read Bank Account Documents. 3 Find out if You are the Executor. 4 Meet With a Local Probate Attorney. 5 Meet With a Bank Official.

How do I find a deceased person’s name on a will?

To be even more thorough, you can enter terms like payable on death, trustee, executor, beneficiary, or unknown heir that will generate a significant number of entries. From there, you can scan to see if the deceased’s name is found within.

What to do if your parent dies suddenly?

Locate Your Parent’s Financial Records. This includes insurance accounts and banking statements. This is important so that any remaining financial obligations and funeral arrangements can be addressed immediately. Obtain a copy of the death certificate.

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Shawn Reinke

The easiest way to get the date of your divorce is to contact court administration. You should be able to get the information you need with a quick phone call. A google search for " [name of county] family court administrator" will usually get you what you need.

Tricia Dwyer

I'm not sure exactly what records you need. The divorce decree and other limited legal docs' presumably are kept secured by local court admin.' & those records, with appropriate exception, are available to the public. Often the various counties have online info' stating how people may obtain copies of various records...

How to find a will that hasn't been probated?

There is no simple way to find a will that hasn't been probated. If you have access to your father's papers, see if you can find anything with a reference to a lawyer or even an accountant. An accountant may know who your father's lawyer is. In any case, your father should have either the original will or a copy so check safe deposit boxes and file cabinets. If you can't find the will, an ad in the New York Law Journal...

How long does it take to file a will after death?

Generally, a Will must be filed in the probate court within 10 days after death - - - but this is often ignored until an estate is opened. It may be that your father had a trust and transferred all of his assets to his trust to avoid probate and to keep the knowledge of his assets private.

Can a father's wife be appointed as executor?

You have been given some good practical advice. Legally, I suggest that you file an administration proceeding to be appointed as administrator. Your father's wife will get notice and if she has a will that benefits her, she will come forward with it and ask to be named as Executor. You can also do a petition to compel the production of a will, but this is more costly and you do not have enough information. You should...

Getting your Assets in Order

Before we talk about finding lost money, let’s address getting our own financial life recorded so that no one has to go through this process for us. This is important for anyone with children or loved ones who would need this information if something were to happen to you.

Where Does Unclaimed Property Go?

If you’re wondering whether or not your loved ones had unclaimed assets that you can claim, you first need to understand where those belongings go. They primarily end up in the unclaimed property division of your state government.

Completing the Search Process

It’s easy to miss one of the aforementioned ads. Luckily, there are a few databases that you can access if you think that your deceased loved one has money or property that remains unclaimed (as long as you are an heir). The website missingmoney.com can be a good starting point. Here you can do a near-nationwide search by putting in a name.

How to get a power of attorney after a parent dies?

Obtain a signed and notarized statement from your parent or parents giving you power of attorney to handle matters after they are deceased. Know where the will is located. If all personal and financial records are in a safety deposit box, make certain you have authorized access to it. References.

Who determines the bank account of an estate?

If there is an executor, your access to the banking account will be determined by the executor. The executor is legally bound by the probate court to the administration of the estate. This includes responsibility for finalizing all aspects of the estate, such as bill payments, disposition of estate possessions, sale of land and financial assets.

What happens if there is no executor of an estate?

If there is no estate executor see if your state has a relevant small estates law. Small estates laws allow an heir to bypass probate proceedings to obtain access to property and monetary holdings. The purpose of these laws is to reduce or completely eliminate court proceedings by submitting a small estate affidavit to a bank.

Do you have to probate a bank account if there are other heirs?

If there are other heirs, a will exists or someone else is named on the bank account, the matter might need to be probated, with an executor of the estate making the decision on your access to the bank account records.

Can you find out what someone owned when they died?

Well, there is no central registry that you can go to and determine everything that someone owned when they died. But there are both informal and formal ways that you can dig and determine what someone owned on the date of their death.

Does Dad own additional accounts?

People are questioning the fact that Dad owned additional accounts. Once Son works with the lawyers and the court system to get confirmed as the executor, the courthouse will issue certified copies of Letters of Independent Executorship.

Can you find someone's assets after they die?

If they owned financial accounts, it's likely they may received account statements in the mail. And then there is the formal way to discover someone's assets after they died. Let's use an example of Dad, who died with a last will and testament. Dad names Son as executor.

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