Probate Administration
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die: proving the will, paying debts, and distributing what's left. We guide personal representatives through Washington's streamlined nonintervention process, handle the creditors and the paperwork, and tell you honestly when an estate doesn't need probate at all.
Talk to an attorneyFounded
1965
Attorneys
11
AV-rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Office
Bellevue, WA
Founded
1965
Attorneys
3
AV-rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Office
Bellevue, WA
Probate administration lawyers for Bellevue and Seattle families
Oseran Hahn guides personal representatives and families through probate, the court process of settling a loved one's estate, across the Puget Sound region. We open the estate, get you appointed with the nonintervention authority that keeps the court out of day-to-day decisions, deal with creditors and taxes, and distribute the estate the way the will or the law directs. Washington runs one of the most efficient probate systems in the country, and our job is to keep your administration on that simple track and resolve the things that threaten to complicate it.
Probate is a sequence: get appointed, marshal the assets, deal with creditors and taxes, then distribute and close. We handle each step. We open the estate and secure your authority as personal representative. We notify creditors and work through their claims. We tell you whether the estate even needs probate. We pay what's owed and distribute the rest. And when a will is challenged or a dispute breaks out, we resolve it.
Opening the estate and getting appointed
Probate begins by admitting the will (RCW 11.20.020) and petitioning the court to appoint a personal representative, who receives Letters Testamentary, or Letters of Administration when there's no will (RCW 11.28). What makes Washington probate efficient is nonintervention powers (RCW 11.68): once the court finds the estate solvent and grants them, the representative can sell property, pay debts, and distribute assets without returning to court for approval at each step. We petition for those powers, address any bond, and where there's no will, navigate the statutory priority for who gets appointed (RCW 11.28.120).
Marshaling assets and handling creditors
The representative's first job is to identify, secure, and value the estate's assets. Then comes the creditor process, where deadlines decide the outcome. Publishing and mailing a notice to creditors (RCW 11.40) starts a four-month clock that bars late claims, and the law cuts off all claims at two years from death regardless. We review the claims that come in, pay the valid ones in the statutory order, and reject the ones that don't hold up. Done right, this closes the estate's exposure to debt; done wrong, it can leave the estate, and sometimes the representative, on the hook.
Whether the estate even needs probate
Not every estate has to go through probate, and we'll tell you before you start. Assets that pass by their own terms, joint accounts, beneficiary designations, payable-on-death accounts, and property held in a living trust, are nonprobate assets (RCW 11.11) and don't need it. For married couples, a community property agreement can vest everything in the survivor without probate. And a small estate, under $100,000 in personal property with no real estate, can often be collected by affidavit instead (RCW 11.62). We figure out which path is actually required so you're not paying for a process you don't need.
Paying debts and taxes, then distributing
Before anything reaches the heirs, the estate's obligations get paid: valid creditor claims, final income taxes, the costs of administration, and for larger estates the Washington estate tax, which starts at $3 million, plus any federal estate tax. We prepare the accounting, make sure distributions follow the will, or Washington's intestacy statute (RCW 11.04.015) when there's no will, and obtain the receipts that protect the representative. The estate closes with a declaration of completion (RCW 11.68.110), which, after notice, discharges the personal representative.
When probate is contested or complicated
Most estates settle quietly, but some don't. A will can be challenged for lack of capacity, undue influence, or improper execution, and Washington gives a narrow four-month window to contest after the will is admitted (RCW 11.24). Heirs fight over interpretation, a creditor disputes a rejected claim, or a representative is accused of mishandling the estate. Washington routes most of these through TEDRA (RCW 11.96A), a flexible statute that lets parties resolve estate and trust disputes by agreement or, if needed, in court. We also handle ancillary probate when an out-of-state decedent owned property in Washington, and we litigate when we have to and settle when that serves you better.
Sixty years of Pacific Northwest estate work means we know how to use Washington's nonintervention process to move an estate efficiently, and how to handle the creditor claims, tax issues, and disputes that threaten to bog it down.
We use the efficient path.
Washington's nonintervention probate is built to keep the court out of routine decisions. We secure those powers up front so you can administer the estate without a hearing for every step, which is what keeps the cost and the timeline down.
The deadlines are ours to track, not yours.
Creditor notice periods, the contest window, tax filing dates: missing one can reopen an estate you thought was closed or leave the personal representative exposed. We run the calendar so the protections actually attach.
We handle the fights without overplaying them.
When a will is challenged or heirs disagree, we know the difference between a dispute that needs a courtroom and one that TEDRA can resolve by agreement. We don't turn a solvable problem into a war.
The attorneys behindthe work.
Our business and corporate attorneys handle this work alongside our litigation team, so you have coverage whether your matter stays transactional or becomes something more.
What clientsask us first.
How long does probate take in Washington?
A straightforward nonintervention probate usually runs about six months to a year, driven largely by the four-month creditor claim period that has to run before the estate can safely close. Simple estates move faster; ones with disputes, hard-to-value assets, or an estate tax return take longer. We give you a realistic timeline at the start rather than a hopeful one.
Do I have to go through probate if there's a will?
Not always. A will doesn't avoid probate; it directs how probate distributes the estate. Whether you actually need probate depends on how the assets are titled. If most of the estate passes through beneficiary designations, joint ownership, or a living trust, you may need only a limited probate or none at all. We look at the assets, not just the will, before telling you to file.
What does it mean to be a personal representative, and can I be held responsible?
The personal representative, called an executor in some states, is the person the court authorizes to settle the estate: gathering assets, paying debts, and distributing what's left. It's a fiduciary role, so you can be held personally liable for mishandling it, paying the wrong people, missing a creditor deadline, or distributing too early. Keeping representatives on the right side of those duties is most of why people hire us.
What happens if someone dies without a will in Washington?
The estate still goes through probate, but Washington's intestacy statute (RCW 11.04.015) decides who inherits, in fixed shares that may not match what the person would have wanted. The court appoints an administrator following a statutory priority order. We handle intestate estates regularly; the process is similar, but the law sets the distribution instead of the decedent.
A family member is contesting the will. What now?
Move quickly, because the window is short. Washington allows a will contest only within four months after the will is admitted to probate (RCW 11.24), on grounds like lack of capacity, undue influence, or improper signing. We represent both personal representatives defending a will and heirs challenging one, and many of these resolve through TEDRA without a trial. The sooner we're involved, the more options you have.
How much does probate cost?
Less than most people fear, in a typical Washington nonintervention case. The main costs are the attorney's fees, the court filing fee, and any appraisal or bond expense; there's no percentage-of-the-estate fee like some states impose. Cost climbs when there's a dispute, a will contest, or an estate tax return. We estimate it honestly once we see the estate, and we look for the simplest lawful path first.
Recentarticles.
Probate and estate administration for personal representatives and families, on Washington's efficient nonintervention track.
Oseran Hahn P.S. · 11225 SE 6th St, Suite 100 · Bellevue, WA 98004
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