Would you like to file probate in Solano County? Moreover, did you know that you can file probate in Solano County and represent yourself – without having to hire an attorney? In fact, A People’s Choice has helped thousands of people in California file probate without an attorney! In this regard, many people choose the non-attorney route to file their probate case. Consider contacting A People’s Choice for more information about the probate services we provide for California probate. Generally speaking, filing for probate in Solano County is straightforward. More importantly, you do not need to hire an attorney to commence the probate process. At the same time, you can save yourself thousands of dollars by working with an experienced legal document preparer. In this regard, we encourage you to read on to learn more about how to file probate in Solano County.
We Help to File Probate in Solano County!
Important Money Saving Tip!
The average home value in Solano County is $419,300. House values are predicted to rise 4.6% 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 Solano County would be $11,000! By using the flat fee services of an experienced probate legal document assistant, the estate can save thousands of dollars.
How to File Probate in Solano County
As mentioned above, you do not need to hire an attorney to file probate in Solano County. Ordinarily, most people can easily complete the probate process without employing an attorney by simply hiring an experienced probate legal document assistant to help.
First, the probate process begins by the estate’s executor or family member filing a petition to probate an estate. Furthermore, the petition must be filed in the County where the decedent last resided. Next, the court will appoint a representative or executor to carry out the probate process. This includes obtaining an inventory and appraisal of all the decedent’s assets and debts, notifying all interested parties about the probate and paying outstanding debts and taxes. Lastly, the court needs to approve the distribution of all remaining assets to beneficiaries and heirs.
During the probate process, the personal representative or estate executor will deal with the probate referee and probate examiner. With this in mind, the personal representative is responsible to find and list the estate assets. Conversely, the probate referee is responsible to appraise the decedent’s non-monetary assets. Specifically, the inventory will include items such as real estate, business-related property, stocks, bonds, bank accounts, and household furniture, to name a few.
The probate examiner reviews the probate petition and related legal documents and submits them to the judge for further scrutiny . If documents are incomplete upon filing, the examiner will post probate notes outline the problems before the judge hears the case.
Where to File Probate in Solano County
The Solano County Superior Court hears legal matters about conservatorship, probate, and guardianship of minors and adults. Probate of estate cases are heard at the following place:
Hall of Justice
600 Union Avenue
Fairfield, CA 94533
Effective January 1, 2018, all probate matters filed in the Fairfield Court will be assigned as follows:
The Honorable Judge Alesia Jones
Department 22 (Fairfield Courtroom 305)
Hearings occur Monday through Thursday starting at 9:00 a.m. The Clerks office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding court holidays.
Solano County Probate Rules
Of course, every court has their own set of rules that must be followed when filing paperwork in that court. For this reason, it is essential to check the local probate rules of court before you begin the process. In particular, Rule 7 pertains to Solano County probate cases.
Adjudicated Newspapers for Solano County
When you file probate in Solano County, you are responsible for publishing notice of the probate filing in a legally adjudicated newspaper. There are several area newspapers for Solano County. Some include:
Benicia Herald,820 1st St., Benicia, Tel: (707) 745-0733
Daily Republic, 1250 Texas St., Fairfield, Tel: (707) 425-4646
Dixon Tribune, 145 East A St., Dixon, Tel: (707) 678-5594
River News Herald 21 South Front St., Rio Vista, Tel: (707) 374-6431
Vacaville Reporter, 916 Cotting Lane, Vacaville, Tel: (707) 448-6401
Vallejo Times Herald, 440 Curtola Parkway, Vallejo, Tel: (707) 644-1141
Solano County Probate Examiner
The role of the probate examiner is to review the petition and other filed documents before a scheduled hearing. Notably, the probate examiner will make notes about questions, deficiencies, or other problems they see with the paperwork. Eventually, these probate examination notes become available on the court’s website. You can assess the probate notes through the court’s website by selecting the department where the hearing is set. The examining notes are displayed below any tentative rulings. You can also access the probate notes and tentative rulings by phone by calling (707) 207-7331.
A court appearance by the personal representative is not required if they are satisfied with the intended ruling as long an order has been submitted for the Court’s signature. On the other hand, if a case is not included in the notes/rulings, an appearance is necessary
Furthermore, if there is are deficiencies in the pleadings, the personal representative must appear at the hearing. With this in mind, deficiencies can often be corrected by timely filing a supplement.
Solano County Probate Referee
The current probate referee in Solano County is Raymond J. Simonds. His contact information is:
690 E. Tabor Avenue, Suite A1
Fairfield, CA 94533
Phone: (707) 425-1005
FAX: (707) 425-1055
e-mail: probate4u@aol.com
To clarify, the probate referee values all the assets of the estate. Correspondingly, the personal representative must prepare the Inventory and Appraisal and present it to the probate referee for his completion. Next, after the probate referee has valued all the assets and completed the inventory, the inventory must be filed with the court.
Options For Probate Help in Solano County
When dealing with a contested probate, you can always consult with an attorney on an hourly basis and obtain limited legal representation. Inasmuch as you only need legal advice on a particular issue, hiring an attorney by the hour on as “as needed” basis will save the estate a substantial amount of money. Remember, attorneys receive a statutory fee to probate an estate. Furthermore, the attorney’s fee is directly tied to the gross value of the estate. To put it differently, though an attorney may do the same amount of work to probate a small estate as a large estate, the attorney receives a substantially higher fee for higher valued estates.
Contact A People’s Choice for more information on how to file probate in Solano County. In the event you chose to use our services, you will undoubtedly save the estate thousands of dollars, putting more money into the pockets of the beneficiaries and heirs.
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