What is Probate?
Originally the term “probate” meant “to prove the Will,” but the term has grown to include the administration of the decedent’s estate. There are several ways to proceed in handling a given estate. Essentially an estate may be handled either (1) as a single “supervised” administration or (2) as a series of separate proceedings which may be either “formal” or “informal.” Supervised administration is reserved for complex estates. Informal proceedings are used to handle uncontested matters. Formal proceedings are available if there is a dispute or if someone wants a final court adjudication to forestall later disagreements.
Most probate proceedings are informal. Certain forms must be filed with the court, but the court is not involved in collecting, managing, valuing, or distributing the assets; and, once appointed, the personal representative (the executor or executrix is called “personal representative” in Arizona) can do virtually anything with the property which the decedent could have done.
for help with an Arizona Probate, contact us; call ((28) 445-3230 today.