Do I need to hire an attorney licensed in the jurisdiction where the estate is probated? – North Carolina Short Answer If the estate is being handled in a North Carolina county, any lawyer who appears for you in that estate case must be licensed in North Carolina or be admitted pro hac vice with…
How can I record an exemplified probate order from South Carolina to transfer real property in North Carolina? – North Carolina Short Answer File a certified or exemplified copy of the South Carolina will and probate order with the Clerk of Superior Court in the North Carolina county where the land is located. The clerk…
What happens if the clerk removes me as administrator and I disagree with her decision? – North Carolina Short Answer If the Clerk of Superior Court revokes your letters of administration, your authority ends immediately, you must turn over estate assets, and you must file a final account. You can appeal to a superior court…
How do I determine if a federal death benefit is part of the estate or goes straight to heirs? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, most federal death benefits that name a person as beneficiary (like Social Security survivor payments or life insurance with a named beneficiary) bypass probate and go directly to…
What timeline and notice requirements apply when removing an uncooperative co-owner during a partition sale? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a partition sale run by a court‑appointed commissioner follows the judicial sale rules: the sale must be noticed and advertised, and a 10‑day upset‑bid period applies before the clerk can confirm the…
How can I serve as trustee while keeping my SSI or Medicaid benefits? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, you can often preserve SSI/Medicaid by changing how trust assets are held and paid. The most common paths are (1) decanting the current trust into a new trust with special needs provisions, or (2)…
Can I convert an existing trust into a special needs trust to protect my government benefits? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes—under North Carolina law, many existing trusts can be “decanted” or modified into a special needs trust (SNT) so the assets don’t count against needs‑based benefits, if statutory conditions are met and proper notice…
How do ABLE accounts work for holding trust sale proceeds to maintain benefit eligibility? – North Carolina Short Answer ABLE accounts can help a North Carolina beneficiary with a qualifying disability keep needs‑based benefits by sheltering a limited amount of funds. Annual contributions are capped, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) generally disregards up to a…
What rights do I have as a beneficiary when there is no will? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, heirs of someone who dies without a will are entitled to their shares under the intestacy laws and to basic information about the estate. The court‑appointed administrator must file a complete inventory within three…
How can I get copies of my mother’s probate filings and inventory? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, estate files are maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court (Estates Division) in the county where the estate was opened, and most filings—including the inventory—are public records. You can visit or contact that clerk’s office…
