Melbourne 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.
Melbourne is a beautiful city on the east coast of Florida where people from all over the place come to enjoy the wonderful weather and Florida atmosphere. The city of Melbourne, like many other locations in Florida, attracts not just the young, active vacationers, but also attracts those looking to settle down and relax into their retirement years in a warm and sunny climate.
The number of senior citizens in Melbourne means that there are many people who enjoy their retirement right up to the end in this beautiful city, and who pass away under the Florida sun. For the families that these people leave behind, this often means traveling to the state of Florida to settle the affairs of their loved ones and dealing with probate laws in an unfamiliar state.
A probate lawyer can help you, as the personal representative of the estate of someone who might have passed away in or near Melbourne, to understand this complicated process and to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible during this difficult time. It is not just a good idea to hire a lawyer to help you through the complicated and confusing Florida probate process, it is actually a requirement of Florida law for estates that go through probate.
You might consider hiring an out of area lawyer to probate the estate, and this is perfectly permissible if you choose to do so. Keep in mind, though, that an out of area will not know the local laws and regulations of the Brevard County court systems the way that a Melbourne probate lawyer will, and will have to spend time looking these regulations up. The possibility grows that they will miss something that will cost you time and money as you probate the estate of your deceased loved one, especially when you compare those chances to a Melbourne probate lawyer making the same mistake.
The fees for a Melbourne Probate Lawyer are usually charged according to 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.
The death of a loved one is a trying enough time without worrying that your lawyer might be missing something important in the probate process, which can already take anywhere from six months to two years or more. If you want to get through the process as quickly and easily as possible, then contact a Melbourne probate lawyer to help you get through this trying time and to get you back to life as normal. It is the best choice for the situation.
