Are You Entitled to See the Will of the Deceased Parent?

Did one of your parents pass away recently? If so, we are sorry for your loss and sympathize with you. After you have processed your emotions, you might instantly feel the need to see if your parent has left any will or power of attorney detailing how they have distributed the assets. You might think since you were their child, you are entitled to see their will or power of attorney. 

However, let us break it to you: there is no such entitlement to children of deceased parents. If you ask professional estate lawyers Barrie, they will tell you that even if you are the child of the deceased parent, you don’t immediately get the right to see their will or power of attorney and if they have left you anything or not.

Who can see the will or power of attorney of the deceased parent?

The will or power of attorney can only be seen by the executor of the will. Your deceased parent would have selected the executor. The executor of the will or power of attorney will be informed by the lawyers when it is time to execute the will.

Once the executor is ready to execute the will, they will contact the concerned beneficiaries according to the details of the will. The beneficiaries will inherit as per the details of the will or power of attorney. Since only the executor of the will or power of attorney can see the document, they must be chosen wisely. Sometimes, executors prevent the rightful beneficiaries from receiving the inheritances. 

Why can’t the child of the deceased parent see the will?

The answer is simple! The will or power of attorney is a private document. In fact, the parent who is alive is also not legally permitted to see the will, let alone the children. Moreover, if you were 18 years and above, you wouldn’t be the legal dependents. Thus, your deceased parent is not obligated to leave you anything from their estate. However, if you are a minor, they can include child custody lawyers Barrie to determine who will take custody of the child after they have passed away. 

So, having this assumption that you are entitled to see the will of the deceased parent is wrong. To understand more about will or power of attorney, get in touch with us at Owen & Associates Law.

Our team has estate lawyers, real estate lawyers Barrie, child custody lawyers, divorce lawyers, and more. Call us now to know more.