Washington has laws and procedures in place designed to make probates relatively quick and inexpensive. Also, Washington has adopted procedures that can be substituted for a probate to make the process of handling someone’s estate after their death move quickly and efficiently. An attorney experienced in these types of cases should discuss all available options with you during a first meeting.

Even though Washington has tried to simplify the process of handling a person’s estate after their death, there are still some circumstances where the process can drag on. These reasons often have nothing to do with “probate” itself, but rather with other factors unrelated to process used. Such factors can include a need to sell real estate, handling tax matters, and disputes among family members as to how the estate is to be handle.

Douglas N. Kiger, Attorney at Law
Blado Kiger Bolan, Tacoma, Wash.