W hen P romises A re N ot E nough The Probate Process Unveiled
A will can protect a person’s best interests when they pass away, but without one, families must deal with the (sometimes combative) task of deciding what to do with a loved one’s belongings. According to a Gallup poll in 2021, slightly less than half of U.S. adults, 46%, have a will that spells out how they would like their real estate and finances handled after they die. I previously worked with a client whose mother did not have a will when she passed away. She made verbal promises to her children regarding what she wanted to happen to her property. She told one of her children that he would inherit her expensive car. She even programmed their name into the car’s radio to show that was her intention. However, after she passed away, another sibling took the vehicle, and a lawsuit was filed. This dispute involved the expensive car and many other assets. The strain it caused broke the family apart as they fought over the issues the lack of a will created.
our Probate, Trust, and Fiduciary Law team has handled various cases like this, and it’s essential to know the steps of the process.
Probate — Decedent’s Estates The practice of Probate Law encompasses a wide array of subject matters. One aspect of Probate Law is the legal procedure that must be followed in order to distribute assets of a deceased person, like property, bank accounts, and real estate, to living heirs or beneficiaries. With some exceptions, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over these types of cases. If a person passes away and the Probate Court has jurisdiction, what happens next generally depends on whether there was a will. If a will exists, the court will follow a legal process that takes the wishes of the decedent into consideration regarding the way the decedent’s property will be distributed. However, if there is no will, the court will adhere to the predetermined laws of the State of Georgia regarding the way the decedent’s property will be distributed, regardless of the decedent’s wishes. Continued on Page 4 ...
Death is a natural part of life, but when a loved one passes away, their assets have to go somewhere, and it can be a complex situation for families. At The Manely Firm,
How Our HR Director Shapes Success With Us M eet T aqua D avis L ee At The Manely Firm, we wouldn’t be who we are today without our wonderful team. Their contributions and passion inspire us to keep moving forward, and we love celebrating them. Taqua just celebrated her first anniversary with the firm last month, and we can’t imagine what we would do without her. As our Human Resources Director, she wears many hats and provides help and direction to everyone on our team. Taqua cultivates an atmosphere of respect and camaraderie we’ve worked so hard to build for our staff and clients. “Respect, kindness, and teamwork are at the forefront of what we do,” Taqua says. “Anything less is just not tolerated.” Taqua has a wealth of HR experience, working in the field for 14 years in various industries. She also caught our eye because she has worked in law firms before as a paralegal. Taqua said she loved doing paralegal work for 12 years, but moving into HR took her to the “next level.” Before she came to us, she was a global aviation company’s regional manager, overseeing teams in seven different cities.
Since joining The Manely Firm, Taqua has been instrumental in transforming many of our procedures and workflow. Her role as a guide for employees in handling personnel issues has set her apart. She has a clear goal of making team management easier for leaders, which she is actively working toward. On a personal note, Taqua connected deeply with the firm’s missions and philosophies. “Having gone through a divorce and seeing what this firm did differently made me interested in working here,” she said. “We can make a difference in people’s lives, and that’s one of the things that caught my attention about The Manely Firm.”
Outside work, she loves spending time with her family and is preparing her 14-year-old daughter to “be that young lady who can just take off and fly.” Her husband is also an HR professional, and they enjoy taking time to travel. We like to live through some of their incredible adventures. She likes to spoil her sweet Yorkie, Shorty, and we know the feeling because she brings so much positivity to our firm daily. Taqua has brought our office to another level and is currently putting a lot of energy into recruiting and our efforts to expand globally. Her passion shines through in everything she does, and we are so happy to have her on our team.
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