From our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: Acquiring Copies of a Will and Irrevocable Trust in Philadelphia County, PA

Most Recently Updated July 7, 2018

“My son’s Godparents both died in Philadelphia with a will and a Revocable Living Trust and the executor will not give me a copy. How do I get a copy of the will and the Revocable Living Trust?”

Acquiring Copies of a Will and Irrevocable Trust in Philadelphia County, PA

First, the father needs to understand the documents he is requesting. The Will is the document that is filed with the Philadelphia Register of Wills and which then dictates where the deceased’s assets pass after death. The Revocable Living Trust is a document that actually owns assets during lifetime, and then at the grantor’s death, the trust dictates where the assets owned by the Revocable Living Trust pass. Assets in the Revocable Living Trust are not “owned” by the deceased, so the Will has not effect over them.

In this situation…

…it seems that when the Godparents died, they may have had some assets in their Revocable Living Trust, but they may have also owned some assets in their own names. For example, they may have placed their house into the Revocable Living Trust and kept their checking account in their own names. If so, the house will pass under the terms of the Revocable Living Trust and the checking account will pass under the terms of the Will.

How to get a copy of the Will

To get a copy of the Will, the father simply needs to go to the Philadelphia Register of Wills. It is a public record, so the father can examine the Will and even make a copy.

How to get a copy of the Revocable Living Trust

The Revocable Living Trust is not a public record. Many people have Klenk Law draft these trusts for privacy reasons. If the Trustee will not voluntarily give the father a copy of the Revocable Living Trust, he will likely have to petition the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court and get the judge to order the copy turned over.

That brings up the issue of standing.

Not just anyone can get a copy of the Revocable Living Trust, only people who are interested parties. If the father’s son is not a descendent of the deceased, then he is not automatically seen as an interested party. The son would need to prove that in the prior documents he was an heir, which would mean that he is an interested party because the new Revocable Living Trust excludes him.

The father also needs to consider the statute of limitations on challenging a Will or Revocable Living Trust. The son only has a limited time to challenge these documents, so he needs to act quickly.

Further Estate Litigation Questions?

Acquiring copies of documents is only one of many Estate Litigation issues our firm addresses. Consequently, if you want to learn more, please read my more detailed article, Trust and Estate Litigation All You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: Acquiring Copies of a Will and Irrevocable Trust in Philadelphia County, PA

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining how to obtain copies of documents. Further, I included links to even more detailed information on my website. Therefore, please contact me and let me know how I did. Certainly, your comments and questions are welcome!

Let our Lawyers help walk you through what can be a confusing process. To begin with, call to speak to one of our experienced Litigation Attorneys.  By all means, our lawyers are ready to answer your questions. In fact, feel free to contact our office for a free consultation. Ultimately our goal is to put our 25 years of estate litigation experience to work for you.

Wills, Trusts, Probate, and Estate Litigation It’s All We Do!

Tags: Estate Litigation, Estate Litigation Attorney, Estate Litigation Lawyer, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia