If you can find a way to avoid doing an Oklahoma probate after someone passes away, do it. I provided some tips on this in my blog series “6 ways to avoid Oklahoma probate after death”
If you must do an Oklahoma probate, then finding a good attorney is essential. Often, finding a good attorney to do anything is a challenge, including doing an Oklahoma probate.
I provided some general guidance on finding an attorney in this post. The other things to look for are:
Experience. You need an attorney who has done at least a few probates. There is no reason to pay someone with no experience to learn the process on your time. For example, you can figure out how much experience I have by searching the Oklahoma State Courts Network records for probate cases in which I have been involved. This type of search (using my name, Oklahoma County only) yields 22 results.
The Oklahoma State Courts Network is available to anyone and you can search cases and attorneys by following this link.
Fees. While shopping for a probate attorney is not like shopping for a toaster or a new bathing suit, it is nice to know approximately how much it is going to cost. For example, an attorney should be able to give you a range of costs, say $2,500.00-$3,000.00 for a standard probate and what any additional expenses will be (such as filing fees).
Availability. The point of this factor isn’t so you can rush through the process. Rather, most people in the position of needing to probate something need to get to certain assets, sooner rather than later. Be certain the attorney you choose can start work on your Oklahoma probate project in a reasonable period of time.
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