This article will give you an overview on how to file probate in El Dorado County without an attorney. Despite common misconceptions, you do not need to hire an attorney to probate your loved one’s estate. With this in mind, probating an estate involves a relatively straightforward process. Given these points, A People’s Choice has helped thousands of people complete the California probate process without attorney representation. Contact us today for more information about probating an estate in El Dorado County. Read on to learn more.
Probate is a court supervised process to administer the assets and debts of a deceased person’s estate. This includes paying any outstanding debts and taxes before distributing any remaining assets to beneficiaries and heirs. Most probate matters are resolved within a year of filing.
We Help to File Probate in El Dorado County!
Important Money Saving Tip!
The averge home value in El Dorado County is $442,400 and it is predicted these values will rise approximately 4.8% within the next year. Probate attorneys charge statutory fees based on the gross value of the estate, starting at 4%, on a tiered scale. For example, attorneys fees for a $400,000 probate filed in El Dorado County would be $12,000! By using the flat fee services of an experienced probate legal document assistant, the estate can save thousands of dollars.
Overview of Probate
First, to start probate, a loved one or executor will file a Petition. Next, the personal representative will need to notify all creditors, beneficiaries, and immediate family members of the probate filing. Following this, upon being appointed to represent the probate estate, the personal representative will have to complete an inventory and appraisal of the decedent’s estate. In this regard, the probate referee will appraise all non-monetary assets. With this in mind, once appraised, assets may be liquidated to pay outstanding taxes and creditors. Lastly, once the probate is complete, the personal representative will distribute the remainig assets to the beneficiaries and heirs.
Contact A People’s Choice for more information on how to file probate in El Dorado County.
Why You May Not Want to Hire a Probate Attorney
In the first place, we cannot stress the importance of working with a legal document preparer to save money in probating an estate. Straightaway, most people, without much thought, rush to hire an attorney after their loved one dies. Furthermore, most attorneys fail to tell their clients that their services are not necessarily required to complete probate. Obviously, this is in large part because probate is very procedural and mostly consists of completing paperwork. Given these points, why pay an attorney thousands of dollars to complete simple forms?
To begin with, attorneys receive high statutory fees to probate an estate. As an illustration, the gross value of an estate determines the allowed attorney fee, not the amount of work an attorney may have to do. In the event that housing values continue to increase, probate attorneys are expected to receive astronomical fees during the coming years. For example, an attorney will receive a higher sum for probating an estate worth $1.2 million in comparison to $800,000 although both cases may require the same amount of work.
On the other hand, if you choose to work with an experienced legal document preparer you can save yourself thousands of dollars to probate your loved one’s estate. A People’s Choice provides legal document preparation and case management services for probate cases in all California counties.
Where to File Probate in El Dorado County
The El Dorado County court hears probate matters at the following addresses:
Fair Lane Branch
295 Fair Lane
Placerville, CA 95667
South Lake Tahoe Branch
1354 Johnson Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
The County is divided into two zones. More specifically, the northeast corner of the County is in the Lake Tahoe basin, while the rest of the County is in the “western slope,” the area west of Echo Summit. The El Dorado County Probate Division hears legal matters including probate, conservatorship, guardianship, and limited conservatorships. The probate cases are split between Departments 4 and 8
To clarify, all Western Slope probates are filed at 295 Fair Lane, Placerville, CA 95667 and assigned to Judge Dylan Sullivan, Department 8. Conversely, all South Lake Tahoe probate filings shall be filed at 1354 Johnson Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 and assigned to Judge Steven C. Bailey, Department 4. Office hours of the Clerk’s offices are from 8:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding court holidays. Another critical point, wills should be lodged with the court 30 days from the day a person passes away.
El Dorado County Probate Rules
Although most courts use Court Call to allow a party to appear by phone, the El Dorado County Superior Court has their own court-run remote telephonic appearance system. You can only schedule a telephonic appearance through the court’s website. You cannot register to appear by phone unless you do so through the website. However, you can contact 530-621-5080 to speak with a court representative for telephonic appearance support.
Adjudicated Newspapers for El Dorado County
The Mountain Democrat at 2889 Ray Lawyer Drive, Placerville, CA 95667 is El Dorado County’s leading newspaper for legal publications. You can contact them to arrange the required publication of the probate notice at (530) 622-1255, Monday through Friday, between 8 am and 5 pm.
El Dorado County Probate Examiner
At the present time, the probate examiner for El Dorado County posts tentative rulings on the court’s website. The notes will point out deficiencies and changes that the court is requiring before they will approve the Petition. In this regard, you can get access to these rulings using the links below.
Tentative rulings for probate case in the Placerville Court
Tentative rulings in the South Lake Tahoe Court
El Dorado County Probate Referee
If you need to contact the probate referee for El Dorado County, you can reach out to Linda Molinari who is the only probate referee for El Dorado County. Her address is 3941 Park Drive, #20-256, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762; telephone (916) 844-8070 and e-mail eldoradoprobate@gmail.com.
The job of the probate referee is to value all the decedent’s assets. First, the personal representative must prepare the Inventory and Appraisal form which the probate referee will use to provide the asset values. Furthermore, this valuation process by the probate referee can take several weeks to several months. Next, once the referee completes the inventory, the document is filed with the court.
How to Complete Probate in El Dorado County
To summarize, you can file probate in El Dorado County and save the estate thousands of dollars using the services of a legal document assistant. A People’s Choice has helped thousands of people file probate in California. Let’s be honest, everyone wants to save money. In fact, you can calculate precisely how much you will save using our online probate calculator.
Contact A People’s Choice for more information on how to file probate in El Dorado County. Using our non-attorney probate services will undoubtedly save the estate thousands of dollars, putting more money into the pockets of the beneficiaries and heirs. Call us today at 800-747-2780.
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