Margaret Mary Grathwol

My family is fairly big. The sibling living with Mom was the POA. Some months after Mom's death, the siblings began the gargantuan task of cleaning the house since it was not showable/sellable in its initial condition. It became apparent through unearthed paperwork that some things were not kosher wi...th the handling of the finances, so 4 siblings wanted our POA to nominate a different sibling as PR and get a different attorney. This was an option allowed in the will and we set up a family meeting to break the news. However, in some amazing timing, the POA and this attorney went ahead with filing probate without informing anyone beforehand. I found out by getting a notice in the mail which made me quite livid. This attorney said she was honoring Mom's wishes, but since Mom's will allowed options, it would be more accurate to say she was honoring the version that miraculously allowed both her and the POA to keep their jobs. Due to the fact that so much money had already been lost, the siblings found themselves forced to accept this unacceptable situation because changing it would be even more costly. In talking with this attorney, I certainly felt talked down to and not listened to with respect or taken seriously. She got her payday, but this family has sustained permanent damage. Sure, the financial ineptitude was a bitter pill to swallow for those who are actually good stewards of money, but more importantly, this sibling has destroyed all trust in her going forward. The best thing I can say about this experience is it taught me how I DON'T want to treat my family/heirs in estate planning and beyond. Needless to say, I don't recommend this attorney to anyone. I would also advise anyone who has read this far to do what you can to avoid probate. My Mom's estate was modest and with better planning, probate could've been avoided.