What is a "probate"?

What is a "probate"?

Thomas Curtiss Jr. (Attorney-at-Law) gives expert video advice on: What is the probate process?; Does the probate process differ from state to state?; Is there a way to avoid probate? and more...

Probate is a court supervised proceeding for the settlement of an individual's estate by the terms of the person's will or by intestate succession if there is no will. The court has differing degrees of involvement depending upon the jurisdiction. In California, the court is involved from beginning to end but in other states where the uniform probate code is in effect, the court's involvement is significantly less.