Most people don’t like to think about causing a fuss after a family member has died. Unfortunately, when it comes to wills and beneficiaries, problems can arise. When they do, they typically involve will contests in Gurnee. When this is the case, there are several things you’ll need to keep in mind. The first thing you’ll need to do is gauge the significance of your contest.
For example, if you aren’t a family member, or you were never named in the decadent’s previous wills, you have no standing to contest a will, regardless of how unfair you deem it to be. However, if there was once a discussion about including you in a current will, that could be enough to legally contest a will. The burden of proof will be heavily on you. You have to prove you should have been named in the most current will. In addition, if you have been left off of multiple wills over the years, it may be more difficult to contest the will. While it’s still possible, your chances of successfully contesting a will are slimmer than if the current will was the only one you were left off of.
You’ll also need to get a copy of the current will. In these situations, you’ll need legal assistance from attorneys like Charles T. Newland and Associates. Not only can they legally obtain a copy of the will, they can examine the will along with past wills in order to formulate an approach to contest it.
It’s important to understand that will contests in Gurnee can be rather protracted and expensive. For that reason, your attorney may recommend mediation. Your lawyer could file a contest and you could win your case very easily. However, your case could get tied up in court for months, if not years. It could cost you a lot of money and you still may not get the end results you’re looking for. In some cases, mediation with the decadents estate is the most direct and successful approach.
As you can see, there are legitimate grounds for contesting a will. However, you’ll need to be completely sure you’re ready for what can be a messy legal battle. You’ll also need to keep your options open when it comes to alternative methods for resolving your objection to a current will.