Probate
Probate help for the person left in charge
If a parent or spouse has died and the will names you, you have a job to do: tell the court, gather what they owned, pay the last bills, and pass the rest on. We do the paperwork and tell you what comes next.
Most estates we handle go through informal probate, where the court reviews papers instead of holding hearings. It still takes several months, because creditors have time to come forward before anything is paid out.
You don’t need to come to Minneapolis. We meet by video, send papers to sign electronically where the court allows it, and keep a shared list of what’s done and what’s left.
Not every estate needs probate
Accounts with a named beneficiary, property in a trust and a car with a transfer-on-death title can pass without it. We check first, and if probate isn’t needed, we say so.
What the flat fee covers
One flat fee for an informal probate, paid from the estate. A contested estate is quoted on its own.
Getting the estate opened
The application, the notices and the letters that let you act for the estate.
An inventory
A list of what the person owned and what it was worth, built with you.
Paying the bills
Notices to creditors and help deciding which claims to pay.
Closing it
The final account, the distribution to heirs and the papers that end the case.
What a personal representative asks first
How long does probate take?
Usually six months to a year for an informal probate. We give you a timeline at the start and update it as things move.
Do I have to pay the bills out of my own money?
No. Debts are paid from the estate, and the fee for our work is paid from the estate too.
What if my siblings disagree with the will?
Tell us on the first call. A disagreement can change the work, and we’ll quote it separately before anything changes.
Talk through the estate
Tell us who died, what they owned and what the will says, if there is one. We’ll explain the steps and the fee.