Hello, my name is Pamela Flowers. I am very glad you have found my website focused on HR. I have always felt that HR departments get a bad reputation. There are some HR departments that make life difficult for the workforce, but this doesn't have to be the case. I have stayed abreast on the changing world of HR and it is really amazing how some HR departments are training employees and the creative ways that they recognize the achievements of these employees. So in defense of HR, I have decided to create a blog that covers all the great work they often do.
If you are the executor of a deceased loved one's estate, you may be wondering if you are required to hire a lawyer to help you probate the will. Unless the estate is large and/or unusual, you may not need a lawyer's help at all. However, you will likely need some help from a private detective like ICU Investigations. In fact, most probate lawyers contract with private detectives or have them on staff. Fortunately, you can hire a private detective directly and avoid hiring a lawyer at all. Here are three things that a private detective can help you with:
Look for signs of undue influence
One of the most common reasons wills are contested in court is when claims of undue influence are filed. If the decedent had recently changed their will soon before their death, they may have been deceptively urged to do so by one of the heirs so that particular heir could benefit greatly from the changes. While undue influence can be difficult to prove in court, it's important to determine whether or not there was any undue influence by an heir before distributing the assets after the creditors have been settled with. A private detective can compare the most recent will with previous versions and conduct interviews with the heirs, if necessary.
Conduct an asset search
In order to fulfill all of your obligations as an executor of the estate, you'll need to find all of the assets so an itemized list can be gathered to show to the probate court officials. This should contain details of real estate property, insurance policies, safe deposit boxes, financial institution accounts, and securities accounts. There could be things missing from the will, so it's safe to assume that if your loved one did include an itemized list it may not be complete. They may have forgotten certain assets from a long time ago, which may have become escheated since. A detective can search through various sources to locate assets.
Find missing heirs
The most obvious way a private detective can help you fulfill your legal obligations of being an executor is to find all missing heirs. Private investigators find the physical and mailing addresses of missing heirs so the heirs can be notified that they may have an inheritance from your loved one's estate. You may need to provide the detective with a little bit of information for them to conduct a thorough research on the missing heir, particularly if they have a common name and/or have moved frequently and extensively over the years.
Share4 June 2017
