The day you lose someone important is one of the worst days of your life. All too often, the period that follows can be one of the worst years of your life. That is why Lardiere McNair is here to fight for you, ensuring that the winding up of your loved one’s affairs goes as smoothly as we can make it.

When someone dies, there are a handful of questions that go through his or her family’s mind almost as soon as the realization sets in. Who should be in charge? Do we need to hire a lawyer? Did the person have a will? Life insurance? Who needs to be notified? Who should pay for the funeral? These are only a few of the hundreds of questions that are posed as soon as the person’s circle comes to grips with the loss. While there is no way to replace that person’s role in your life, there is a way to ensure that the people he or she loved are not left in the lurch.

The best way to answer these questions is to go first to whether your loved one had an estate plan – this will give us several of the answers we are looking for, and the ability to investigate for many more of them. If someone had no plan, then our first stop is in the probate court of the county where the person lived. Once someone has been appointed to administer the decedent’s estate, we can get started on answering the pertinent questions. We can also help determine who legitimately has a claim to the decedent’s assets. Whether the claim comes from a credit card company, a business partner, a child or a friend, we can help you sort out who needs to be paid and who is just blowing smoke. These conversations are difficult, and the determination can be tricky – it helps to have someone in your corner who knows the law and has dealt with these issues before.

Just as importantly as the nuts and bolts of estate administration, though, is the personal side. When a person dies, emotions run high, anxiety is at its peak, and friends and family suddenly find themselves at odds when they have always gotten along before. When there is a lawyer involved, the administrator has someone who can provide counsel as to the best course of action, and who can pick up the phone and talk to an angry relative when you don’t have the energy.

When the worst happens, the last thing you want is to be alone. When you hire an attorney to help with estate administration, you ensure that you have someone to help you with what can be a complicated, emotional process. If you want to talk to us about an administration matter, give us a call and come talk to us.

Ben Worsowicz is an Associate at Lardiere McNair, LLC.  To read more about our firm, please visit www.lawyerscolumbusohio.com.

The information presented here has been prepared by Lardiere McNair for promotional and informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.  This information is not intended to provide, and receipt of it does not constitute, legal advice.  Nor does the receipt of this material create an attorney/client relationship.  An attorney client relationship is not established until such time as Lardiere McNair enters in to a written engagement agreement with a specific client for a specific legal matter.

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