The short answer
Not this week, in most cases. Keep the original safe, hand nothing out yet, and book a first meeting with a probate or estate lawyer this month.
If there is no will, or you have not found one, the same steps apply. Make that appointment soon if there is no will, or if anything was in his name alone.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Find the original will, if there is one, and keep it safe.
- Note who is named as executor.
- List what he owned in his name alone.
- Book a first meeting with a probate or estate lawyer this month, and soon if there is no will or anything was in his name alone.
- Take the will if there is one, the list and a certified copy of the death certificate.
- Ask how the lawyer charges before you go.
What can wait
- Reading the will to the family.
- Giving anything away.
- Filing with the court. The lawyer will tell you when.
- Your own will. Book 2, The Money, covers it.
Who can help
To find a lawyer, call your state or local bar association and ask for its lawyer referral service. The American Bar Association's directory finds them: americanbar.org/directories/lawyer-referral-directory.
If money is tight, look for free civil legal aid for people on low incomes at lsc.gov.
The clerk's office at your local court that handles wills and estates can explain how its process works, but cannot give legal advice. How much help the clerks give varies from one office to the next.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 1: The First 30 Days
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 8. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers the first month.
Hear when the next book is out
Five or six short emails a year at most, and a note when a new book is out. Each one is about something that tends to come up in the first two years. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.