Batten Law is a family-run firm helping Georgia families put their wishes in writing, and carry them out when the time comes. The attorney who drafts your plan is the same one who will stand beside your family in probate court, if probate is necessary.
We draft the documents that carry your wishes forward, tailored to your assets, your family, and your business interests. Most clients need all three, working together.
Your will speaks for you after you're gone. It tells the probate court who should receive your property and who should be in charge of the process.
An accident or illness can leave bills unpaid and accounts frozen. A power of attorney lets someone you trust step in right away.
Hard medical decisions are easier on your family when they know what you want and who is meant to decide.
We represent executors and administrators through the probate process in Georgia, so you can focus on your family while the legal work gets done correctly.
Georgia law requires whoever holds the original will to deliver it to the probate court in the county where the person lived. If there is no will, the estate is still opened in that county.
We file the petition and give notice to the heirs. The court then issues Letters Testamentary to an executor named in a will, or Letters of Administration to an administrator when there is no will.
A notice to debtors and creditors runs once a week for four weeks in the county's legal newspaper. Creditors then have three months from the last publication to present their claims.
We help you gather assets, file the inventory and annual returns the court requires (unless they've been waived), and pay valid debts and final taxes in the right order.
Once claims are settled, property is distributed to the beneficiaries or heirs, and we petition the court to discharge you as personal representative.
Solemn form gives formal notice to every heir and is binding once the court admits the will. Common form is quicker but can generally be challenged for up to four years. We'll recommend the right route for your family.
A surviving spouse and children share the estate equally, and a spouse never receives less than one-third. With no children, the spouse inherits everything. Without a spouse or children, the estate passes to parents, siblings, and more distant relatives.
The attorney who drafts your plan also answers your calls. No hand-offs.
Wendeline founded Batten Law to give Georgia families a steady, compassionate advocate through estate planning and probate. Having lost her own father in 2021, she knows firsthand what grief asks of a family, and she handles the legal work so her clients can focus on healing with the people they love.
Call or email to set a time. Consultations are available by phone, by video, or in person, and we'll give you clear pricing for your estate plan before any work begins.