A how do I contest a will in Philadelphia attorney is there to advise you about your rights. A how to contest a will in Philadelphia lawyer will help you determine whether or not you have met the legal grounds for contesting a will to begin with.
You might not realize that it’s only up to certain people to contest the validity of the will. As a person who might benefit from the current version, you need someone on your side to protect your interests. If you believe the current will is inaccurate, you also need legal representation.
If you believe that someone has recently died in Philadelphia and that there exist grounds to contest the will, such as you believe that person was under undue influence at the time or lacked the mental capacity to put together a will, you need to be prepared for what to expect and recognize that only certain people are equipped to bring a will contest. A will contest is a serious type of probate litigation.
Every will contest initiates with a petition but usually ends with a hearing that can take place as long as one year into the future. To begin, an interested part in Philadelphia can begin a will contest. A Philadelphia how do I contest a will lawyer will advise you about what to anticipate and will help you file the lawsuit. If a judge finds the will invalid, your inheritance would increase. This can help you to figure out whether or not you are an interested party. If the will in question reduces your inheritance from what you would have received from a previous will, you are an interested party. If it is determined that you are not an interested party, the court will dismiss your challenge. If you intend to contest a will in Pennsylvania, the first step is to retain an experienced attorney to start the process with the court in the county in which the decedent resided.
If the deceased person was a resident of Philadelphia county, the will is directly filed with Philadelphia county register of wills. This means that the will's validity can be challenged from the register's office and a judge will then hear the case. The will in question should reside with the Philadelphia register of wills if you believe that the person had residency of Philadelphia at that time. Do not enter into the process of a will contest without first consulting with an attorney. This is because there are far too many mistakes that can be made if you do not understand how a will contest works or whether or not you have appropriate grounds to initiate a will contest. It is very important that you understand this process in advance because this will be a big investment of your money emotions and time.
Typically, will contests in Philadelphia can last longer than a year and the end cost will depend on numerous different factors. This is why it is beneficial to sit down with an experienced Philadelphia will contest lawyer at the outset of case and figure out whether or not it is in your best interests. If the will you wish to challenge is determined to be invalid and is thrown out and you will be financially better off, you likely meet the grounds as the interested party. If you do not meet this criteria, then you will struggle to be accepted by the court and will likely have your case thrown out entirely. The support of a lawyer is instrumental in helping to explain your responsibilities and your rights as it relates to these types of cases.