What are a child's rights to their mother's estate?
Question Details:
My mother had a condo in one state and property in another, all in her name only (neither community property states). She passed away 3 years ago without a Will. However, her husband took everything. I'm wondering what kind of lawyer do I need to talk to about getting our rights in this situation (meaning my siblings and I). She also had a life insurance policy which was $40,000.
The laws of intestate succession dictate who gets what when someone dies without a will. One needs to open up an estate to deal with the property and distribution issues. Most of the time (though not always) life insurance proceeds do not pass through someone's estate and instead go directly to a named beneficiary.
Is any real estate in Maryland? if so, you may want to start by contacting a Maryland attorney who does estate work / estate administration. My firm does such matters in this state or you could contact another attorney of your choosing. In some cases you may need to involve attorneys in more than one state when real estate is located in different areas. Basically though the process starts by looking at title to the property, filing a petition and opening up an estate.
