Our Office

Probate

Probate lawyers in La Plata, Maryland

The complex process of administering and distributing an estate to the heirs of a person who has died is called probate. Trustees and beneficiaries have similar responsibilities in the administration of a trust. Mudd, Mudd & Fitzgerald, P.A. understands the legal complexity and struggles involved in realizing a loved one’s last wishes. Our attorneys are compassionate, and available to answer all of your questions. We follow a tradition of excellence and success, which began in 1907 and continues as a source of strength for our clients today.

La Plata probate attorneys in Maryland

A will directs the distribution of a deceased person’s estate. To prepare for probate court, the first thing you must do upon the death of a loved one is to determine whether or not that person made a will. If so, the decedent died testate (with a will in place) and a petition to open the estate — along with the will, death certificate, an information report, and an inventory and list of interested persons — must be filed with the Registers of Wills and Orphan’s Court in the county of the decedent’s residence. If not, the decedent died intestate (without a will), which means the state will decide the distribution of the decedent’s estate.

A typical estate completes the probate court process in approximately 10 months, provided there are no delays. Our experienced lawyers are well-acquainted with the probate process — awareness of and compliance with court deadlines, and preparation of the petition and other documents, is a portion of what our Maryland probate attorneys do for you, their client, in the administration of your loved one’s estate.

Our competent legal counsel also ascertains that the:

  • Estate is probated correctly
  • Estate tax returns are filed
  • Creditors who appropriately file claims are paid
  • Balance of the estate is quickly and correctly distributed

La Plata probate attorneys become a third party in the administration of your loved one’s estate, once hired. This affords our attorneys the advantage of approaching the estate objectively, and significantly diminishes the prospects of misappropriation, withheld information, property disputes, and disagreements among heirs.

AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®

Since 1907, Mudd, Mudd & Fitzgerald, P.A. has been successfully providing skilled probate services to clients in Southern Maryland. Our offices are conveniently located two blocks from Charles County Circuit and District Courts and are handicapped-accessible. We are one of the oldest and largest law firms in Charles County, and competitively priced. Our firm has been selected for the prestigious AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™. Please call 240.776.5078 or contact us online to schedule an appointment to discuss your estate administration needs.

We are leaders, litigators and trial attorneys who fight for your rights.