If you are a responsible family member of a deceased person who died without a will or have been named as the "executor" or "personal representative" in a deceased person's will, it is advisable that you seek the counsel of an experienced probate lawyer to help you through the probate process. In order to do the best possible job, your attorney needs information about the deceased, the deceased's estate plan, and the deceased's assets and liabilities. At your first meeting with your attorney, you should be prepared to provide, as applicable, the following information:

            NAMES AND ADDRESSES


Your Name(s):___________________________________

Mailing Address: _______________________________
                 
________________________________________________
                 
Telephone Nos.: (Work)_______  (Home)_________

                (Mobile)_________________ 
                
E-mail Address:  ________________________

Your Relation to the Deceased:  ________________



          IDENTITY OF DECEASED

Name of Deceased:_______________________________

Deceased's Date of Birth:_______________________

Deceased's Social Security Number:______________


            ESTATE PLAN

Did the Deceased have an existing Will(s)?   
[] Yes [] No 
(If yes, provide your attorney with a copy)

Did the Deceased have an existing Trust(s)?  
[] Yes [] No 
(If yes, provide your attorney with a copy)


         FAMILY INFORMATION

Was the Deceased's married? [] Yes  [] No

If yes, what is/was the name of the Deceased's
spouse?

Is the Deceased's spouse still living? 
[] Yes  [] No

If no, when and where did the deceased spouse 
die? ___________________________________________

________________________________________________


Deceased's Children:

                              Indicate Whether 
                   Date of    Adopted or from a 
Name                Birth     Previous Marriage

_______________   _________   ________________

_______________   _________   ________________

_______________   _________   ________________

_______________   _________   ________________

_______________   _________   ________________


Have any children received an advance on their 
inheritance or are any children financially 
indebted to the deceased? 
[] Yes  [] No

Any deceased children? [] Yes [] No

If Yes, Name of Deceased Child:_________________ 
Did this deceased child leave any children? 
[] Yes [] No

Name of Deceased Child:_________________________ 
Did this deceased child leave any children? 
[] Yes [] No


Deceased's Grandchildren, if any:


Name            Date of Birth    Parents

_______________   _________   ________________

_______________   _________   ________________

_______________   _________   ________________

_______________   _________   ________________


Other Pertinent Family Information or 
Explanation of Above Items:

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________
 
         PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE


Does the will or any other communication from 
the Deceased indicate who should be Personal 
Representative ("executor") of the Deceased's 
estate? (The Personal Representative is 
responsible for probating the will, paying 
debts, collecting the assets, and settling the 
estate.)    [] Yes [] No

If so, who? 
________________________________________________


             SAFE DEPOSIT BOX
                      

Did the Deceased have a safe deposit box? 
[] Yes  [] No
If so, where?___________________________________

Does anyone else have access to the box? _______

________________________________________________



            PROFESSIONALS


Did the Deceased have an attorney? []Yes []No

If Yes to the above, please give name and 
address: _______________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________


Did the Deceased have an accountant? []Yes []No

If Yes to the above, please give name and 
address: _______________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________


Did the deceased have a financial planner, 
investment advisor or insurance agent? 
[]Yes []No

If Yes to the above, please give name and 
address: _______________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

       INFORMATION REGARDING 
          THE DECEASED'S ASSETS 



1.  Estimated net worth of estate: $____________
 
2.  To the extent possible, collect information 
and documents regarding the Deceased's accounts 
held at financial institutions: 
   
3.  To the extent possible, collect information 
and documents regarding the Deceased's 
investments:

    [] Cash or money fund accounts, or
       certificates of deposit with stock 
       broker firms.
    [] Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds where the
       broker holds the certificates and sent
       the Deceased periodic statements showing
       the account balance.
    [] Mutual funds where the Deceased dealt
       directly with the issuing company rather
       than through a stock broker.
    [] Stocks and bonds (other than U.S. Savings
       Bonds) where the deceased held the
       certificates in your possession.
    [] U. S. savings bonds.
    [] Treasury bills or other government
       securities.
    [] Limited partnerships.
    [] Oil and gas royalty or working interests.
    [] Oil and gas mineral rights in land.
    [] Other securities [describe]___________
       ______________________________________ 

4.  Retirement plans:

    [] Individual retirement accounts (IRAs),
       Keogh, or other individual plans
       providing tax deferment for deposits
       and income.
    [] Employer-provided profit sharing, 
       retirement, or other benefit plans: 

5.  Real estate:

    [] Personal residence located in state
       of____________________________________
    [] Other property. How many different
       parcels of real estate did the Deceased
       own, other than his/her personal
       residence?____________________________ 
       
       In what state(s) are these parcels
       located?____________
       
       Was the Deceased purchasing any of the
       above properties on a contract for deed?
           [] Yes [] No.

       If Yes, provide details: _____________
       ______________________________________
       ______________________________________

6.  Complete this section if the deceased was 
engaged in business. 

    Do you own a business, or are you a partner
    in a business?   [] Yes [] No
   
    If Yes, complete the following:
   
    [] Business is organized as a corporation.
       How many corporations? _______________
   
       How many corporations are subchapter S 
       corporations?_________________________ 
      
    [] Business is organized as a partnership.
       How many partnerships?________________
   
    [] Business is a sole proprietorship. How
       many different firms?_________________



7. Receivables: If any money is owed to the 
Deceased, as payments on contracts, where the 
Deceased sold a business, as payments on 
obligations secured by real estate, or where the 
Deceased loaned money to someone and held a 
note, indicate each type of indebtedness:

   [] Promissory note(s) secured by real estate. 
      Amount(s) owed:________________________
   
   [] Installment contract(s) of sale of
      personal property. Amount(s) owed: 
      _______________________________________
       
   [] Unsecured promissory note(s). Amount(s) 
      owed:__________________________________ 


8. Life Insurance Policies: For life insurance 
policies insuring the Deceased, indicate the 
name of the insurance company, the face amount 
of the policy, and the type of policy. 

                                    Type of 
Insurance Company      Face Amount  Policy

____________________   __________  _____________

____________________   __________  _____________

____________________   __________  _____________

____________________   __________  _____________


9. Annuities: Please indicate the name of the 
annuitant and the type of annuity. Do not list
annuities under which no benefits are payable 
after the death of the annuitant. 

Regular annuities payable for guaranteed minimum 
term or amount:

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Tax-deferred annuities:

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

10. Personal property other than automobiles, 
trucks, boats, and trailers: 
    [] Household furniture and appliances
    [] Collections, art, antiques, valuable 
          jewelry
    [] Automobiles
    [] Boats
    [] Recreational vehicles
    [] Motor home
    [] Business machinery and equipment
    [] Personal equipment and tools
    [] Farm or ranch machinery and equipment 
          (other than general tools)
    [] Livestock 

              LIABILITIES

(Make a list of known liabilities or debts of 
the deceased.)


              QUESTIONS 

(Make a list of pertinent questions to ask your 
attorney.)