Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

Re: Filing a will

I assume you mean after the testator/rix died. You would go to the Register of Wills in the county where the decedent lived. The personnel there will give you the basic information. If it is an uncomplicated estate and you are willing to do a lot of the legwork yourself, you may be able to find an attorney to assist you as needed for an hourly fee, as opposed to a percentage of the estate.

This is general information for discussion purposes. We would need to have an attorney-client relationship for me to give legal advice.

Re: Filing a will

People often mean different things when they talk about "filing a will." Before a person dies, there is no need and often no way to "file" the will in official government records. After a person dies, the will may be probated, which means filing it with the Office of the Register of Wills for the County where the deceased person last resided. This is the first step in administering the estate. Yes, it can be done by a non-attorney who is the appointed executor, but you may want to consult an estate or probate attorney first to be adequately prepared and have all the documents you will need at the Office of the Register of Wills.