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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">Colleagues:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">When petitioning to probate a Will, or when using a Small Estate Affidavit, do you need to name heirs at law, or just beneficiaries?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">Over the years, when petitioning for probate, I have named and provided notice to beneficiaries and heirs, assuming the heirs can be located, even when heirs
are not named as beneficiaries in Decedent’s Will. Unless I am missing something, I don’t see anything in RCW 11 that specifies who must be named in the petition or who receives notice. I have had disagreements with other attorneys about this. My theory
has always been that, even if not named as beneficiaries, heirs should receive notice, with the thought that an heir might want to challenge a will. (For example, if a ne’er-do-well unduly influences a Testator to bequeath everything to the ne’er-do-well,
notice should go out to heirs even if they aren’t named beneficiaries in case they want to challenge.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">When submitting a Small Estate Affidavit, RCW 11.62 requires prior notice to “<span style="background:white">That person or those persons who are entitled to
the claimed property pursuant to the terms and provisions of the last will and testament of the decedent
<b>or</b> by virtue of the laws of intestate succession.” Emphasis added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white">The reason for this question is I am dealing with the very modest ($28,000 in the bank) estate of a decedent who left his estate to his wife
of 11 months, per his Will. The Will is legit, and it makes sense that everything goes to his wife. (When we were drafting his estate planning documents, he was either unable or unwilling to name his wife as the TOD or POD beneficiary on his bank account,
as I suggested, or maybe he just forgot.) He was also the father of four very estranged children who had no contact with him for decades. I planned to use the Small Estate Affidavit, but no one has any idea where these estranged children might be, and it
doesn’t make sense to hire an heir hunter. This might be a stupid question but do I need to name the children in the Small Estate Affidavit , or just name the sole beneficiary, the spouse? Same question if we were to go the probate route.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white">Asking for a friend.
</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white">😊</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841;background:white">Jim Dolan</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">=========================<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">Jones Butler Dolan, PS<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">P.O. Box 458<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">10027 SR 532<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">Stanwood, WA 98292<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">(tel) 360-336-2939<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0E2841">(fax) 360-336-2949<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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