Brooklyn Probate Attorney

When a loved one passes away in Brooklyn, the people who feel the wait most acutely are often the beneficiaries — the children, spouses, siblings, and friends named in a will who are left wondering when, and whether, they will actually receive what was left to them. Our firm focuses on that experience: the beneficiary sitting on the other side of the estate, watching months pass, asking why distribution has not happened yet. We help you understand the New York probate process and protect what is rightfully yours under the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL) and the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA).

Why Beneficiaries Wait in New York Probate

In New York, a will does not transfer property the moment someone dies. The will must first be admitted to probate in the Surrogate’s Court of the county where the decedent lived — for Brooklyn residents, that is Kings County Surrogate’s Court. Only after the court issues Letters Testamentary does the named executor have legal authority to collect assets, pay debts and taxes, and finally distribute the inheritance. For a beneficiary awaiting distribution, understanding each of these stages explains where the delay comes from and where it can be challenged.

What Distribution Actually Requires

Before any beneficiary is paid, the executor must locate and value the estate’s assets, give notice to interested parties, satisfy valid creditor claims, and address any estate tax obligations. Under the SCPA, an executor is also expected to account for what the estate received and spent. A beneficiary who never sees an accounting, or who suspects the executor is sitting on assets, has the right to demand one and, if necessary, to ask the court to compel it.

How We Help Beneficiaries Move Distribution Forward

• Reading and explaining the will so you know exactly what you are entitled to receive.
• Monitoring the executor’s progress and pressing for a timeline when distribution stalls.
• Demanding an accounting under the SCPA when the numbers do not add up.
• Protecting a surviving spouse’s rights, including the right of election under EPTL 5-1.1-A.
• Pursuing small-estate (voluntary) administration under SCPA Article 13 when full probate is unnecessary.

Our Probate Services for New York Estates

From this site you can explore detailed guidance on probating a will in Kings County Surrogate’s Court, the rights of beneficiaries and a surviving spouse’s elective share, the executor’s accounting and distribution duties, small-estate and voluntary administration under SCPA Article 13, and the lifetime planning tools — the New York statutory durable power of attorney, the health care proxy, and the revocable living trust — that determine how smoothly an estate reaches its beneficiaries in the first place.

Brooklyn Roots, New York Law

We serve beneficiaries and families throughout Brooklyn and the wider New York City area. Every estate is different, and the EPTL and SCPA contain deadlines, notice requirements, and procedural traps that are easy to miss when you are grieving and waiting. We aim to make the process intelligible and to keep your distribution moving.

Consult a New York Attorney

This page is general information about New York probate, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Probate outcomes depend on the specific facts of each estate. Before acting on anything here, consult a licensed New York attorney about your situation.