My father recently passed away, leaving me in charge of his affairs. With no will, I may need to file a small estates affidavit.

I want to alert you to three issues raised by your question (all of this presumes that your father lived in Illinois): Small Estate Affidavit: ...

Where can I find the Illinois statute that states that holographic wills are not valid in Illinois?

755 ILCS 5/4-3(a) requires that all wills be in writing and signed by the testator.

It may be possible to transfer your parents' home without undertaking a formal probate of the estate. Title companies offer a "Bond in lieu of...

Who gets the Property?

There is not enough information in your question to provide a conclusive answer. Your question relates to the concept of the right of...

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If someone dies and their estate is valued over 500,000 dollars and there is a will do you have to go through probate

Regarding probate avoidance: It may be that formal probate is or is not necessary. I can't determine that without more information. The law...

If your father's estate is being probated in by Inedependent Administration (as most estates are in Cook and Lake counties) the Independent...

The Illinois Safety Deposit Box Association (http://illisda.com/faq.html) provides a service called Search Your Records that provides information...

From your location, I presume you are looking for a will that may have been filed in Cook County. All decedents' wills filed in Cook County are...

This question is for an experienced probate attorney probably in Cook County IL

There is no "statute of limitations" on the reopening of a decedent's probate estate in Illinois. The Illinois Probate Act allows a decedent's...