Would you like to file probate in Trinity County? A People’s Choice can help you complete and file the forms you need to probate your loved one’s estate. More importantly, we can save you thousands of dollars in legal fees in comparison to what a probate attorney in Trinity County would charge. Contact us today for more information about our low-cost probate and legal document preparation services. As you are learning about probate, be sure to check out our exciting new website ProbatebyME.com which is dedicated to probate and estate administration matters in California. Read on to learn how to file probate in Trinity County, California.
Probate is a court supervised process of administering the assets of deceased person’s estate. This includes paying outstanding bills, filing final tax returns, and paying all taxes due. The personal representative is responsible for paying pay all debts before they are able to distribute the remaining assets to beneficiaries and heirs. It is important to note that most probate matters are resolved within a year of filing.
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Where to File Probate in Trinity County
Probate involves a straightforward court-supervised process. In a nutshell, probate consists of taking an inventory and appraisal of the deceased estate and liquidating necessary assets to pay outstanding taxes and debts. The Trinity County Probate Division hears matters regarding probate, guardianship, and conservatorship.
The Trinity County Superior Court hears Probate matters at the following location:
Main Courthouse
6641B State Hwy 3
Hayfork, CA 96042
Trinity County Probate Rules
Petitioners should review Section 5 of the local court rules before filing a probate petition in Trinity County. In addition, the personal representative must provide all interested parties with notice of the probated estate. In addition, the estate’s executor must provide notice to interested parties about the probate by placing an ad in a local newspaper.
Adjudicated Newspapers for Trinity County
Contact the Trinity County court clerk for a list of adjudicated newspapers for Trinity County. You will need to arrange for publication of the Notice of Hearing in a local newspaper in Trinity County as part of the probate process. If you want to use the Trinity Journal, you can arrange publication through their website. If you use our non-attorney probate services, A People’s Choice will help to schedule the required publication as part of our standard services for our clients.
Trinity County Probate Referee
The probate referee for Trinity County is:
Susan L. Jeffers
P.O. Box 994761
Redding, CA 96099-4761
Phone: (530) 605-0204
FAX: (530) 605-4361
e-mail: sljeffers@sbcglobal.net
The role of the probate referee is to appraise the non-cash assets of the estate. They probate referee will charge a fee as set by California law for these services. The fee is equal to 1/10th of 1 percent of the total value of the property appraised by the probate referee. In smaller estates, the probate referee can charge a minimum fee of $75 which equates to property having a value of $75,000. As part of our standard services, A People’s Choice will deal with the probate referee to make sure the Inventory is properly prepared and timely filed with the court.
How to File Probate in Trinity County
There are many steps required when filing a probate in California, To file probate in Trinity County you must prepare a Petition for Probate and all required attachments and submit the document at the Court Clerk’s office in Hayfork, California. Once the petition is filed, the court clerk will schedule the first hearing. Before this hearing, the personal representative will need to arrange for publication of the notice in a local newspaper.
At the hearing, if the court grants the opening of probate, the judge will sign the Order for Probate, and the Court Clerk will issue Letters of authority to the personal representative. Afterward, the Superior Court Clerk of Trinity County will set a date for hearing on final distribution. This date is set one year from the date of filing the order for probate. The personal representative must write down this date on the front of the order for probate and serve a copy of the order for probate on all interested parties. The Order for Probate must show the expected date for hearing on distribution.
After the Court Clerk issues the Letters, the next step is to get an inventory and appraisal of the non-monetary assets of the estate. Although the personal representative must prepare the Inventory to document, a court-appointed Probate Referee has the job of valuing all the assets and completing the Appraisal part of the document. During the probate process, the decedent’s assets may have to be liquidated to pay any outstanding taxes or debts. A Petition for Final Distribution must be filed to ask court approval to distribute the assets. If the court approves all actions taken by the personal representative during the probate process, the court will approve the distribution of the remaining assets to the beneficiaries and heirs.
Do You Need to Hire an Attorney?
Contact A People’s Choice before you hire an attorney to probate your loved one’s estate. We have successfully helped California families probate their loved one’s estate without the family hiring a probate attorney. Most probate matters are resolved in less than one year. If you have a contested probate case, however, you may want to consult with an attorney. Keep in mind, attorneys charge statutory fees to probate an estate which is not directly related to the amount of work they may invest into a matter. For example, an attorney will receive the same a higher legal fee to probate an estate valued at $900,000 in comparison to $600,000 despite investing less time into the matter. Contact A People’s Choice today to find out exactly how much you will save using our non-attorney probate services to probate your loved one’s estate. 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. Please also visit our exciting new website ProbatebyME.com which is dedicated to probate and estate administration matters in California.
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