Probate
What is Probate?
(Please see our More Detailed Probate Website: www.probatenevada.net)
Probate is the process of getting a court to say who owns a dead person's property. Probate is a public court proceeding. In Las Vegas (and all of Clark County) probate is handled by a special probate court. (In some states the specialized probate court may be called an Orphans' Court or a Surrogate's Court or Chancery Court.)
As a practical matter, property usually goes into probate only if there is fight among the next of kin or if the property has a title and the next of kin need the Court to clean up the title. In many cases, after a person dies, there is no probate. This can happen for several reasons:
Many people plan in advance to avoid probate. A living trust avoids probate if all of the person's property is in the trust. Real estate held in joint tenancy and joint bank accounts go to the surviving party without probate. IRA accounts and life insurance policies usually name payable on death beneficiaries.
Reed & Mansfield
6655 W. Sahara Ave., Suite B-200
Las Vegas, NV 89146
702-343-0494
e-mail: lawlv@cox.net