Probate Attorney in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Find the right Probate Attorney attorney in Chattanooga, TN

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, probate is a legal procedure that a court must go through before giving effect to a will. Before putting a will into effect, a court has to decide that it is legitimate.

As part of this procedure, the Chattanooga, Tennessee probate court will decide the validity of the will, inventory the decedent's assets and debts, and then, lastly, distribute the estate according to the will, assuming it is deemed to be valid.

Most wills name a particular person as the executor of the estate, but sometimes they don't, or the named executor is deceased, out of the court's jurisdiction, or otherwise inadequate to serve in this capacity. In these situations, a Chattanooga, Tennessee probate court has to assign one.

The executor is the individual who initiates probate proceedings. The person who stands to inherit the most from the will is normally appointed the executor, because they will have the most reason to help the process go as quickly as possible, so they can get their inheritance.

Duties of the Executor in Chattanooga, Tennessee

The executor has many duties regarding the will. First, they have to really initiate the probate proceedings, which must be done before the will is effectuated.

Furthermore, the executor has to make sure that the decedent's relatives and other people named in the will have notice of the testator's death, normally through the filing of a copy of the official death certificate.

Because people who stand to inherit from the testator may be scattered around the country, or even the world, contacting them is sometimes challenging. One of the responsibilities of the executor is to gather a list of everyone who is entitled to inherit from the decedent, so attempts to contact them can be made. They further have to account for all the testator's debts and assets.

Because the executor serves as the living personification of the decedent's estate, they are solely accountable for proving the validity of the will. This is a lot of work, but because executors are normally chosen based on how much they stand to inherit from a will once its validity is confirmed, they have a good incentive to see the process to finalization.

How Can A Chattanooga, Tennessee Lawyer Help?

Because this process can be fairly difficult, it is not a bad idea to consult with a seasoned probate lawyer in Chattanooga, Tennessee, especially if you find yourself as the executor of an estate and don't know how to proceed.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee is the 4th largest city in Tennessee, with an a population of about 170,000 people. It is located in Hamilton and Marion Counties.

Chattanooga, TN was founded in 1838 when the United States government, unfortunately, forced the Native American population of the area off of their historical lands, and then established a military base.

Modernly, Chattanooga, TN is undergoing a renaissance, with a concerted effort underway to repair its image, which had been somewhat tarnished over the last few decades, with its industrial economic base disappearing, as happened in many American cities.

Thanks to public and private investment, with many of the major deals negotiated and drafted by Chattanooga, TN lawyers, the city's economy is now a fairly diverse mix of manufacturing and service-based industries. In 2011, Volkswagen opened a manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, TN which cost billion to build, and is expected to employ over 2,000 people when fully operational.

Because of this highly diverse economy, Chattanooga, TN lawyers have a lot to keep themselves busy. So, it should come as no surprise that a Chattanooga, TN lawyer will almost certainly be able to help you with whatever legal problems you may have.

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