"Especially where the total of the estate was burned in the courts over sibling rivalry . It made me realise how unprepared you are when you participate in something like this ."
Yep it is a complete and utter disgrace that lawyers and maybe even the courts are designed to benefit in such a way .
300- 500 bucks an hr for a lawyer and the associated lies just to get to court is an abomination and all in the name of justice . NOT
There is no right or wrong with how someone wants to dispose of their estate when they die but there are many laws and tricks that folks use to make a claim .
But they don't show all the tricks that moronic lawyers use . Never use a lawyer as an executor and never use a family member as a lawyer which is related to the executor . Some have a habit of twisting the laws and rules to the executors benefit and some will go to jail or lose their licence if I have my way !
Just out of interest and for those who don't understand the old style English way I believe it was often the case that the oldest son , not daughter as she was provided for by a husband , was left the majority of an estate which was then further passed onto his oldest son . This way the large estates always remained in the one family but it obviously excluded many other siblings of the family .So the poor remained poor and the oldest always the richest . I think this still exists in some areas but much of it has broken down in the last generation or 2 where deceased wealth is often distributed to all siblings .
Infact there are laws where a deceased person [father or mother] has an obligation to provide for x y or z but generally they must be sons or daughters with some exceptions . ie; maybe a grand daughter who lived with and cared for her granny and gave up much of her life to assist them and was then left destitute when granny died and was left no cash or place to live etc etc as Granny didn't include her in the last will which was written 30 years previous and left all her money to charity or an estranged child .
A very tricky business so go on holidays and blow your cash Acorn .lol
