Estate Administration Lawyers Serving All Income Brackets
The message of this page can be simply summarized thus: Do not let fear of attorneys' fees stop you from contacting our law firm regarding settlement of, or disputes concerning, your loved one's estate. In most cases, such fees will be paid out of the estate and will not be a personal liability to you.
- Perhaps your family is in need of guidance and representation through the process of probate and estate administration in Ohio.
- Perhaps you, as executor or administrator of an estate, need advice and direction as you carry out your fiduciary duties.
- Or perhaps you are party to a will contest or complex probate litigation, either as plaintiff or defendant.
Attorneys' Fees Are Generally Paid by the Estate
In all these cases, legal fees paid to a lawyer services related to settling an estate will most likely be the responsibility of the estate — not the family member who contacts an attorney.
Even in the last scenario (will contest or probate litigation), attorneys' fees are likely to be considered reasonable expenses and thus charged to the estate and paid directly from the estate to the law firm prior to distribution of the residual estate to beneficiaries. This is in addition to reasonable expenses reimbursed to the executor or estate administrator.
An Attorney Acting as Executor Cannot Be Paid Twice
Furthermore, if the law firm is acting as executor, it cannot be paid twice. The law firm can be reimbursed for reasonable expenses related to the estate, for legal fees, but not both. For this reason, it may save the estate a significant amount of money when the attorney acts as executor.
Ask Us About Fee Arrangements in the Event of a Dispute
In the event of disputes associated with settling the estate, attorneys' fees related to settling the dispute may be structured on a contingent and/or hourly basis. Ask us what this would mean to you and your family in practical terms if you hire The DiCello Firm in connection with a will contest, inheritance dispute, asset concealment dispute, will contest or other type of probate litigation.
Remember that all fees — executors' fees and attorneys' fees — have to be approved by the probate court. You can count on our attorneys to be fair and to be clear how the law firm will be paid. Contact us at our Mentor offices (serving the greater Cleveland area) to schedule a consultation.
