Estate Administration Attorney in Northeast Georgia

Each Georgia county has its own probate court. In our area, that means Hall County Probate Court in Gainesville, Gwinnett County Probate Court in Lawrenceville, Jackson County Probate Court in Jefferson, Forsyth County Probate Court in Cumming, Barrow County Probate Court in Winder, Fulton County Probate Court in Atlanta, Clarke County Probate Court in Athens, and Oconee County Probate Court in Watkinsville. Each has its own local practices.

The Georgia Probate Process

Probate in Georgia typically begins with filing a petition to probate the will (or, if there is no will, a petition for letters of administration). The court admits the will to probate, appoints the executor or administrator, and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the documents that give the personal representative authority to act for the estate.

Executor Responsibilities

An executor's duties include: inventorying and appraising estate assets, notifying creditors and resolving claims, filing the decedent's final income tax return and any required estate tax returns, maintaining estate assets during administration, and ultimately distributing assets to beneficiaries according to the will or Georgia intestacy law.

Timeline and Costs

Straightforward Georgia probate estates with a clear will, cooperative beneficiaries, and modest assets can often be completed within six to nine months. Estates with contested claims, real estate in several counties, business interests, or tax issues take longer. We give realistic timeline and cost estimates at the start of every matter.