X100!
My personal lawyer, who owns an immaculate W116 which we maintain, is one of the best probate lawyers in Michigan and the former legal counsel to the legisture. He wrote the Lemon Law in Mich.

I asked him, he said:

Get a local lawyer who knows GA probate and estate law. See if you can find one in the county where your father lived. Laws can even be focused all the way down to the county level, and you want an advocate who knows the judge and the county clerk, if possible.

This is especially true in the South, where relationships are more important than in certain other states.

Good luck and lawyer up! Work off contingency if you can.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
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1960 190D
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1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
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I tell this to people all the time:

In my lengthy career as a CPA, experience has taught me there are two times in a person's life where their outer veneer is pulled back and one can look into their souls. Divorce and Death.

I am involved at this time in a 3 yr. old estate where 1 child (who is one of 7 or so beneficiaries) is suing to have 2nd spouse (who is a non resid. beneficiary) removed as executrix and have more assets distributed. And this man's will was very thorough. Lawyers suing and counter suing... and the kids see their bequests, although significant, shrink day by day.

I don't think I've ever met a trust/will/probate attorney that offers a contingency fee. Frankly, I don't think I'd want one that's going take 25-33% or more to handle the paperwork and limited court appearance, if any, to get the job done. From the description of the size of the estate and the nature of any potential dispute, this sounds like a matter that could be resolved with a "family meeting"

The costs of the Kevlar vests could outstrip the attorney's fees...

They outlawed dog fighting. Dog fighting among humans can be quite vicious a well. Probably is going to be with us for as long as our specis survives.

Usually divorce and relatives passing incidents can trigger it quite nicely for some.

No, without the vests there's a better chance of reducing the heir pool . . .

Neither would I.

Years ago I advised a client whose father had died in Florida to see if he could go down there and find an attorney to work on a fee based arrangement. His estate consisted of a home in FL, a summer home (former residence) in NJ and 2+ million in a Janney account in Philly. This was back when the exemption was $600,000. His brother ended up hiring an attorney who charged on estate size. The fee was $30,000. How long does it take to write a couple of letters, order two appraisals and go to court a few times.. This and another FL estate I witnessed with similar fees led me to conclude FL was a good place to be an estate attorney.

The best advice you have gotten is lawyer up.

Here in Texas with community property laws you would be in great shape, the spouse gets a life estate in the other spouse's share of the real estate, the kids split their parent's half of the personal property which includes bank accounts. After the second wife's death the kids split their parent's half of the real estate.

Georgia does not have community property laws so things are different. I still can't believe the outcome could be so totally different.

Find someone 65 years or older to do your bidding or pretend to be a geezer and follow the instructions at GeorgiaLegalAid.org | A guide to free and low-cost legal aid, assistance and services in Georgia

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1983 300SD "Guderian"
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2006 Hyundai Tucson