PROBATE & ESTATE PLANNING

On this page we will discuss the probate process and the ways we assist all parties involved. We provide executor services and can act as the asset distribution party for clients in the Fayetteville and Fort Smith areas. Below you can find out more information about the probate process and the services we provide. If you have any additional or specific questions on how we can assist the probate process, please contact our law firm; we are happy to answer your questions.

Probate is a legal process filed in the Circuit Court of the county in which a deceased person has died, usually their home county. That person is called the “decedent.” The purpose of probate is to carry out the decedent’s wishes for asset distribution after their death if they left a valid will. If they did not leave a valid will, asset distribution is carried out in accordance with the probate laws.

Probate often gets a bad name for being a long or expensive process. While some probate proceedings do take a long time because remaining family cannot agree, or the decedent has a great number of assets, or asset distribution is tied up, most often a probate proceeding is completed in the year following the decedent’s death. Without appropriate planning prior to death probate can be absolutely necessary to pass on assets.

Proper planning prior to death is extremely important and can make things much easier for grieving family and friends. Bond Law Office provides estate planning services to help ensure a smoother distribution of property after death.

We offer probate services both before and after a person’s death. Some of the things we regularly provide counsel on include:

• Executor services Powers of Attorney

• Wills Trusts

• Estate Administration Small Estate Administration of estates less than $100,000

• Simple Estate Planning Final Disposition Statements

• Living Wills & Final Disposition Statements

In Arkansas, probate also includes matters such as guardianship, adoption, and conservatorship. From Fayetteville to Fort Smith, the Bond Law Office is happy to help to provide services in regard to these matters as well. Our probate practice is statewide and is concentrated in Northwest Arkansas where our principal law office is located.