Vermont Notice to Interested Persons of Allowance of Will

Forcing the probate will be easy. This is done by filing a petition to probate the estate as a creditor, which you do have a right to do. The family, will probably object but if a family member is awarded Letters, then you will be able to file a creditor...

No, in Vermont, you do not need to notarize your will to make it legal. However, Vermont allows you to make your will "self-proving" and you'll need to go to a notary if you want to do that. A self-proving will speeds up probate because the court can accept the will without contacting the witnesses who signed it.

If an estate doesn't go through probate and it is a necessary process to transfer ownership of assets, the heirs could sue the executor for failing to do their job. The heirs may not receive what they are entitled to. They may be legally allowed to file a lawsuit to get what they are owed.

As an aside, Vermont Statute Title 32 § 1143 states that executors may be paid $4 per day spent in court, but this is geared towards the court paying appointed agents, and that amount was set in 1866.

If an Executor breaches this duty, then they can be held personally financially liable for their mistakes, and the financial claim that is made against them can be substantial. In an extreme example of this, one Personal Representative failed to settle the Inheritance Tax bill before distributing the Estate.

In California, estates valued over $150,000, and that don't qualify for any exemptions, must go to probate.If a person dies and owns real estate, regardless of value, either in his/her name alone or as a "tenant in common" with another, a probate proceeding is typically required to transfer the property.

Only parties with legal standing can force an executor to finalize an estate. Individuals with a legal interest in an estate have standing. Examples of interested parties would be beneficiaries and heirs, or conservators or guardians named in a will.

Under California Probate Code, the executor typically receives 4% on the first $100,000, 3% on the next $100,000 and 2% on the next $800,000, says William Sweeney, a California-based probate attorney. For an estate worth $600,000 the fee works out at approximately $15,000.