'Twas the Night Before Probate
Dec 25, 2023
‘Twas the night before probate, and all through the house
Not an asset was spared, for there was no spouse
Nor were there children, or any appointed heirs
For the deceased had no plans, nor had he cared
The forms were stacked high, with supporting documentation
Billable hours were spent, mostly in frustration
The invoices were getting high, and the sister wanted it done
But the filings were needed, every single one
The administrator was waiting, an appointment he needed
To start moving assets to the sister who pleaded
She had no cash or credit, and the bills piled high
But he could not yet move assets, for his hands were tied
To add to the mess, the parents’ probate was still open
And the brother’s estate was now a beneficiary unchosen
Two years and more the parents’ assets for him waited
In an out of state court system, added up to the time cited
From one estate to another before going to her account
To the sister I explained, and of course she had doubt
“How can a system be so frustratingly complex?”
And I told her the probate court does not give a heck
Exasperating, time-consuming, and stupidity filled
And for every hour I would now have to bill
If only a trust had been the brother’s investment
The sister would not now be filled with resentment
The friend as the Administrator would’ve had his job done
In the blink of an eye, or a month totaling one
But that was not to be as he did not plan ahead
‘Cause at fifty-three he did not expect to be dead
Now to my horror the phone did just ring
And the chosen administrator told me something
The house of the brother being used by the sister
Had a fire today and it was a disaster
While the fire was small, it was apparently enough
To kill the sister and most of their stuff
And so tragedy struck a family once so content
That all were now gone without taking a cent
With the sister now gone, the brother’s estate had to continue
But the heir was her estate, and more craziness would ensue
Cousins from the woodwork started to appear
Wanting to take the accounts quickly and with cheer
As I tried to explain the process to take
With more frustration they started to shake
From the parents estate to the brother’s then hers
The assets would travel before it was theirs
At least a year before they saw a dime
And meanwhile I had to bill for my time
Three trusts to set up would have been my preference
But now years and twenty times the cost I did reference
And that excluded the probate for the parents in Jersey
And the added probate for the sister was still blurry
If only had the parents and brother and sister as remainder
Had planned with a trust instead of funding my retainer
Now there was nothing left but to revise the filings
For the heir was no more in the papers that were piling
As much as I hated handling the probate court process
Because of the ill-planned, my practice was a success
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