Probate and Estate Administration Attorneys Serving Raleigh, Durham, and all of North Carolina

Probate is the court process of proving the validity of and overseeing the instructions provided in the will are followed properly and the estate is correctly administered.

When there is no will, the process is simply referred to as estate administration. You are most familiar with the daunting term “going through probate” being used whether or not there is a will.

At Carolina Family Estate Planning, we help our clients by taking on the detailed, challenging work of Probate so that you can focus on your own life and family, with the peace of mind of knowing that you are respecting your loved one’s wishes. We will prepare all the paperwork you need to work with the court, beneficiaries, and Co-Executors.

We want you to feel confident that you are in control of the process and that everything is done right, as the law requires. Most importantly, to every extent possible, our probate team wants to help you carry out your loved one’s wishes.

A common rule of thumb is that total probate and estate administration costs tend to end up in the range of 2-8% of the estate. And while it might be tempting to think that a smaller estate will be on the lower end of that range, it often is an inverse relationship—for smaller estates, a large percentage may be spent on probate expenses because there are certain expenses and tasks that need to be handled even though it’s a smaller estate.

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Unless the Will provides otherwise, under North Carolina law, Executors or Administrators may claim a commission of up to 5% of the Estate assets and receipts, as approved by the Clerk of Court.

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• Locate estate planning documents
• Look for any “memorial instructions”
• Arrange for the care of any pets
• Remove any plants and perishables
• Secure the house
• Make funeral arrangements

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