How long does it take?

Question

My Grandfather died (in November) - we know for sure that he had a will and my Aunt was deamed the Trustie. Now how long does she have before she HAS to read his Will? Yes there is a large sum of money involved.

Answer 1

She may not have to "read his will" in the dramatic, everybody sitting in the lawyer's office, way. However, there will be local statutes providing that the executor must give notice to all named beneficiaries within a particular length of time, probably around 90 days. As noted, there was assumedly a lawyer involved in preparing this will. Give him a call; he'll know what time limits are involved.

Answer 2

Don't worry too much. If your grandfather had a will, surely it will be on file at his lawyers office. I don't believe executors of estates can abscond with the original will. And lawyers must obey certain codes of conduct or face serious discipline from their professional regulatory bodies and state agencies.

If you know your grandfather's lawyer's name, you could contact him personally to ask him about the reading of the will. He / she should be able to tell you all the legal ramifications related to the processing of the estate and expedite the process if he believes that the executor is stalling. Or you could have your own lawyer contact the other for information. In fact, this may be the better route because he / she will be better able to understand the legal intricacies, and thus translate for you the legal mumbo jumbo involved in processing an estate.

Answer 3

You need to speak with a lawyer to force her to read the will PRIOR to her managing to steal all the money.

Answer 4

If she hasn't read it to you by now, she will accidently loose it, or burn it. Don't sound like to me she has your best interest at heart. I would be pushing , really hard!