Gadsden County Probate - Probate in Florida
Christopher Q. Wintter Florida Probate Lawyer of Wintter & Associates, P.A.
Contact information: 2239 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, FL 33020 - Hollywood: 954-920-7014
Miami-Dade: 305-948-6788 - Boca Raton: 561-470-3448 - Fax: 954-920-7080
Wintter & Associates, P.A. is a Florida trust and estate law firm focusing its practice in the areas of probate administration, trust administration, guardianship administration, probate litigation, trust litigation, guardianship litigation, and estate planning. The firm's professionals are devoted to the representation of clients in estate, trust, probate, and guardianship proceedings. The firm is well known and is well respected by its colleagues, competitors, adversaries, and judges.
Christopher Q. Wintter has over 23 years of experience as a practicing attorney and is a recognized expert in Trust and Estate matters by the Florida Bar. Mr. Wintter earned his Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law (1987) and earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting with High Honors from the University of Florida (1982).
Our attorneys have a thorough understanding of the legal, tax and financial issues that come into play with complex Trusts and Estates. Mr. Wintter holds the prestigious Board Certification by the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts, and Estates, a credential held by fewer than 350 attorneys out of the more than 90,000 attorneys licensed to practice law in Florida. Mr. Wintter has been Board Certified since 1999. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Wintter was a CPA and maintained his license as a Certified Public Accountant from 1984-2002.
To learn more about Wintter and Associates, P.A., please visit our web-site www.WintterLaw.com.
The state of Florida is a beautiful and warm state full of welcoming people and plenty of things to do for visitors and residents alike, with Gadsden County being no exception to the rule. It is no wonder that places like Gadsden County attract so many people from out of state to come and settle in Florida, and no wonder that many of these settlers are of retirement age, having dealt with cold winters and boring hometowns for too long.
Because of the large number of senior citizens moving into counties like Gadsden, there are also a large number of people who pass away in the state of Florida with their next of kin being from other states and unfamiliar with Florida law and the Florida probate procedures. Because of this and because of the inherent complications and confusion of the probate process itself, Florida state law mandates that the personal representative of the estate of the deceased must hire a probate lawyer to help them through the complicated process.
Probate is very confusing, and is made more so by the fact that each state has different laws regarding probate and different ways of handling the situation. The best way to ensure that the probate goes quickly is to make sure that you hire an attorney who is knowledgeable about state and regulations, and that means hiring a probate lawyer.
This lawyer will be able to help you quickly get through the paperwork and other processes required by probate, and will help you to move things along so that the estate can be closed and distributed among the heirs. Your probate lawyer will also help you to save money by saving your own time as well as by helping you to avoid or minimize extra expenses, fees, and penalties that you might otherwise stumble upon in your attempt to probate the estate.
A local lawyer is sometimes superior to one from out of area because with a Gadsden Probate Lawyer, there is no worry that the lawyer will miss a vital step as he or she researches the local probate laws for Gadsden County; a Gadsden probate lawyer will already know these regulations, and will not have to waste time looking them up for the first time. You will be glad that you contracted a Gadsden probate lawyer for your loved one's estate, if it is a contested case; otherwise, any Florida probate attorney throughout the state of Florida can handle the case for you.
Fees for attorney's are set forth in Florida Statutes Section 733.6171, which states:
733.6171 Compensation of attorney for the personal representative -
(1) Attorneys for personal representatives shall be entitled to reasonable compensation payable from the estate assets without court order.
(2) The attorney, the personal representative, and persona bearing the impact of the compensation may agree to compensation determined in a different manner than provided in this section if the manner is disclosed to the parties bearing the impact of the compensation and if no objection is made as provided for in the Florida Probate Rules.
(3) Compensation for ordinary services of attorneys in formal estate administration is presumed to be reasonable if based on the compensable value of the estate, which is the inventory value of the probate estate assets and the income earned by the estate during the administration as provided in the following schedule:
(a) One thousand five hundred dollars for estates having a value of $40,000 or less
(b) An additional $750 for estates having a value of more than $40,000, but not exceeding $70,000.
(c) An additional $750 for estates having a value of more than $70,000 and not exceeding $100,000.
(d) For estates having a value in excess of $100,000, at the rate of 3 percent on the next $900,000.
(e) At the rate of 2.5 percent for all above $1 million and not exceeding $3 million.
(f) At the rate of 2 percent for all above $3 million and not exceeding $5 million.
(g) At the rate of 1.5 percent for all above $5 million and not exceeding $10 million
(h) At a rate of 1 percent for all above $10 million.
