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Probate

Florida Probate Curator Rule Amendments Became Effective October 1, 2026

Florida Probate Rule amendments on curators, petitions for administration, personal representative oaths, and ancillary administration took effect October 1, 2026. The biggest practical change is how letters of curatorship must describe the curator's powers.

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Probate

Florida Guardianship Rule Changes Take Effect January 1, 2027: Conflicts of Interest and Emergency Notice

A Florida Supreme Court opinion changes three Florida Probate Rules on January 1, 2027. Here is what the new conflict of interest disclosures for guardians, the new definition of an elisor, and the updated notice rule for emergency temporary guardianships will mean for you.

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Probate

Florida Probate Rule Changes Take Effect January 1, 2027: Death Records and Discovery

Two Florida Supreme Court opinions change the Florida Probate Rules on January 1, 2027. Here is what the new evidence of death rule, the limit on early demands for a death record, and the end of initial disclosures in probate cases will mean for you.

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Probate

Florida Probate Changes Effective July 1, 2026: Higher Small Estate Limits and New Tools for Personal Representatives

Florida raised its summary administration limit to $150,000 and doubled small estate limits on July 1, 2026. See what HB 1337 means for families and executors.

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Probate

Don’t Say a Little Prayer: Estate Planning Lessons from Aretha Franklin's Probate Trial

Aretha Franklin's contested handwritten will, found in her couch cushions, ignited a legal battle. Michigan accepted it, but Florida's stricter standards reject such wills. The case underscores the importance of proper estate planning and legal guidance.

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Probate

Dispelling the Myths of Reverse Mortgages in Probate

A reverse mortgage balance comes due when the borrower dies, which makes it a probate issue. We take on four common misconceptions about what happens to the surviving spouse, the heirs and the home.

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Probate

Lost but not Forgotten: Lost Wills and How to Establish Them

Florida presumes a lost will was revoked. Learn what counts as a correct copy, who qualifies as a disinterested witness, and how an interested person can establish a lost will for probate.

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Probate

How To Use Estate Planning to Avoid Probate

Probate in Florida is time-consuming, expensive and public. Revocable living trusts, joint ownership and payable-on-death accounts are all ways to pass assets to your beneficiaries without going through it.

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