Sarasota 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.
Many people question when they should hire a Sarasota probate lawyer to help them with their loved one's estate. The answer is as soon as possible.
Florida probate law requires that all probates involving administration be handled by an attorney. The only way to circumvent hiring a Sarasota probate lawyer is to do disposition without administration, however this only applies to small estates or estates where the personal representative is also the sole heir to the estate. Otherwise, you will need to hire a probate lawyer to do the dispensation on the estate probate. Administration of an estate is administrated by Florida's probate law and a probate lawyer specializes in that law. A simple estate, or what seems to be one, can actually be quite intricate, and even if you think the estate is small and simple, it's likely still in your benefit to hire a probate lawyer to help you through the administration. An estate probate can be quite daunting if you are not a qualified probate lawyer.
You may choose any probate attorney in the state of Florida who is of convenience to you; however, if there are issues in your probate being contested and that would require court appearances, then it would be wise to have a Sarasota Probate lawyer because an Sarasota probate attorney would be more familiar with the local Judges and Court system, and that would prove very helpful.
If it is your spouse that has died, and all of his or her assets were co-owned by both of you, you may not need to hire a probate lawyer. Florida law states that survivorship assets (co-owned by both spouses) are immediately handed over to the spouse. However if the deceased owned any property or possessions in which the spouse was not named as a co-owner, you will need a probate lawyer to help probate that part of your spouse's estate.
The cost for a Florida probate attorney 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.
Don't risk mishandling the estate you have been appointed to protect. You must be certain that all creditors and governmental agencies are properly paid so that the beneficiaries receive their assets free of problems in the future. Only a Florida probate attorney can assist you in this matter. Speak to a Sarasota Probate Lawyer today!
