re: Do you need a lawyer for probate?

I'll also add that you're not likely to find any quality attorneys willing to give free step-by-step legal advice on a message board. Giving advice is how they put food on the table.

quote:

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Practicing law is not like changing oil in a car or fixing a dryer. You can’t youtube it.

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This is an excellent point. There's no one size fits all advice you can get. It needs to be tailored to your specific facts and scenario to determine what needs to be filed. Even the simplest estates can be complex for even first time attorneys, much less the average person with no experience. I don't mean to discourage anybody from trying to DIY. I'm a big DIYer myself, just want to caution that this is a more serious undertaking than you might think. It's not one or two forms/templates to file at the courthouse... It's more likely a dozen or more pleadings, filed in a particular order and in compliance with the appropriate statutes. It's not something conducive to trial and error.

And yes OP, don't count on the clerk of court to be of any help. They're terrified of being sued so they will shy away from anything even remotely resembling legal advice.