Decedent Information |
The Decedent Information page allows you to view and record the details of deceased plaintiffs, including burial and autopsy details, and assets held by the plaintiff at the time of death.
The Structure of This Page
Note: The Add Funeral Expense button, Funeral Expenses table, Add Asset button, and Assets table are all associated with an individual row of the Decedent Information table, and only appear if the row is set to display subtables. For that reason, whether these tables appear in your Decedent Information page, and where in the Decedent Information table they appear, will depend on which row, if any, of the Decedent Information table is set to display subtables. 
Add Decedent Information button. Used to add a new decedent to the case file.
Decedent Information table. Contains the decedent details and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Funeral Expense button. Used to add a new funeral-related expense to the case file.
Funeral Expenses table. Contains the details of funeral-related expenses for a particular decedent and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Asset button. Used to add a decedent's asset to the case file.
Assets table. Contains the asset details for a particular decedent and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Decedent Information Table
The Decedent Information table is where the details of deceased plaintiffs are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual plaintiff. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Decedent Information table contains the following available columns:
[column with no title]: A plus sign
in this column indicates that additional information is available for the row in which the plus sign is located (in this instance, Funeral Expenses and Assets for that decedent). Clicking on the plus sign opens the Funeral Expenses and Assets subtables for that decedent. The plus sign then turns into a negative sign 
which, when clicked, closes the subtable.Decedent: The name of the deceased plaintiff.
Decedent Info: The decedent's date of birth, and the decedent's age at the date of death.
Death Certificate Date: The date the decedent's death certificate was signed.
Date of Death: The decedent's date of death.
Died from Incident: Whether the decedent's death was as a result of the inciting incident of the case.
Location of Death: The location of the decedent's death.
Residence: The city and state of the decedent's primary residence at the date of death.
Have Original Certificate: Whether your firm has the original death certificate for the decedent, and either the date the certificate was received by your firm (if your firm has the certificate), or the dates that the certificate was requested by your firm and is expected to be received by your firm (if your firm does not have the certificate).
Autopsy Done: Whether an autopsy was performed on the decedent and who performed it.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit and Delete.
Additional columns are available for the Lien Tracking table, which can be added by clicking on the Show/Hide Columns button. Columns can also be hidden using the Show/Hide Columns button. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage. The additional available columns are: Cemetery, Funeral Date, Funeral Home, OCME No.
Editing a Decedent
To edit a decedent:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the decedent you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for decedents, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Decedent
To delete a decedent:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the decedent you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the decedent, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Decedent
To add a new decedent:
Click the Add Decedent Information button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for decedents, completely blank.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the decedent and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the decedent, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The date in the Date of Death field will automatically be set as the date of death in the decedent's Contact Card. This will also set the Sub Category in the contact card to Deceased, if that was not already the case.
The Add/Edit Decedent Information Panel
The Add/Edit Decedent Information Panel allows you to fill in the details of a deceased plaintiff. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
Decedent: The deceased plaintiff. This field is uneditable when editing an existing decedent record.
Date of Death: The decedent's date of death.
Location of Death: The location of the decedent's death.
We Have Original Certificate: Whether your firm has the original death certificate for the decedent.
Requested Date: The date the death certificate was received by your firm. This field does not appear if We Have Original Certificate is selected.
Expected Date: The date the death certificate is expected to be received by your firm. This field does not appear if We Have Original Certificate is selected.
Decedent Died from Incident: Whether the decedent's death was as a result of the inciting incident of the case.
Funeral Date: The date of the decedent's funeral.
Death Certificate Date: The date the decedent's death certificate was signed.
Funeral Home: The funeral home at which the funeral was performed.
Cemetery: The cemetery in which the decedent is buried.
Autopsy Done: Whether an autopsy was performed on the decedent.
Who Performed: The contact who performed the autopsy on the decedent. This field does not appear unless Autopsy Done is selected.
OCME No: The medical examiner's case number for the autopsy. This field does not appear unless Autopsy Done is selected.
Funeral Expenses Table
The Funeral Expenses table is where the details of funeral-related expenses are stored. The Funeral Expenses table is a subtable of the Decedent Information Table, which means that each row of the Decedent Information table has an individual Funeral Expenses table associated with it, which is specific to the decedent in that row; open a row of the Decedent Information table using the open/close icon to reveal the associated Funeral Expenses table. Each row of the table represents an individual expense. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Funeral Expenses table contains the following available columns:
Expense/Claim Type: The type of the expense.
Bill/Claim Received: The date the bill was received for the expense.
Payor: The contact who paid the bill.
Bill Amount: The amount of the bill.
Payee: The contact to be paid.
Bill Paid: Whether at least part of the bill was paid.
Amount Paid: The amount paid toward the bill.
Adjustment: The amount of reduction achieved in the amount of the bill.
Balance: The outstanding balance of the bill.
Lien Confirm: Whether the lien associated with the expense has been confirmed or not.
Bill/Claim #: The identification number of the bill.
Check #: The number of the check used to pay the bill.
Lienor: The contact holding a lien on the case associated with the expense.
Comments: Any comments about the expense.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit and Delete.
Editing a Funeral Expense
To edit a funeral expense:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the expense you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for funeral expenses, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Funeral Expense
To delete a funeral expense:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the expense you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the expense, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Funeral Expense
To add a new funeral expense:
Click the Add Funeral Expense button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for funeral expenses, completely blank.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the expense and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the expense, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Funeral Expense Panel
The Add/Edit Funeral Expense Panel allows you to fill in the details of a funeral-related expense. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
Expense/Claim Type: The type of the expense. This list is hardcoded into SmartAdvocate and thus not editable.
Bill/Claim Received: The date the bill was received for the expense.
Payor: The contact who paid the bill.
Bill Amount: The amount of the bill.
Payee: The contact to be paid.
Bill Paid: Whether at least part of the bill was paid.
Amount Paid: The amount paid toward the amount of the bill. This field is blank and uneditable unless Bill Paid is selected.
Adjustment: The amount of reduction achieved in the amount of the bill. This field is blank and uneditable unless Bill Paid is selected.
Balance: The outstanding balance of the bill. This field contains the number in the Bill Amount field minus the sum of the numbers in the Amount Paid and Adjustment fields. This field is ignored if either the Amount Paid or Adjustment field is blank.
Lien Confirm: Whether the lien associated with the expense has been confirmed.
Bill/Claim #: The identification number of the bill.
Check #: The number of the check used to pay the bill.
Lienor: The contact holding a lien on the case associated with the expense.
Comments: Any comments about the expense.
Assets Table
The Assets table is where the details of major assets held by decedents are stored. The Assets table is a subtable of the Decedent Information Table, which means that each row of the Decedent Information table has an individual Assets table associated with it, which is specific to the decedent in that row; open a row of the Decedent Information table using the open/close icon to reveal the associated Assets table. Each row of the table represents an individual asset. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Assets table contains the following available columns:
Asset Type: The type of the asset.
Asset Value: The estimated value of the asset.
Asset Location: The current location of the asset.
Co-Owner: The co-owner of the asset.
Law Firm: The probate law firm assisting in the distribution of this asset.
Attorney: The probate attorney assisting in the distribution of this asset.
File #: The probate attorney's file number for the estate.
Comments: Any comments about this asset.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit and Delete.
Editing an Asset
To edit an asset:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the asset you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for assets, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting an Asset
To delete an Asset:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the asset you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the asset, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding an Asset
To add a new asset:
Click the Add Asset button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for assets, completely blank.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the asset and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the asset, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Asset Panel
The Add/Edit Asset Panel allows you to fill in the details of an asset. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
Asset Type: The type of the asset. This list is hardcoded into SmartAdvocate and thus not editable.
Asset Value: The estimated value of the asset.
Asset Location: The current location of the asset.
Co-Owner: The co-owner of the asset.
Law Firm: The probate law firm assisting in the distribution of this asset.
Attorney: The probate attorney assisting in the distribution of this asset.
File #: The probate attorney's file number for the estate.
Comments: Any comments about the asset.
Will Information |
The Will Information page allows you to view and record the details of deceased plaintiffs' wills, including executors and witnesses.
The Structure of This Page
Note: The Add Executor button, Executors table, Add Witness button, and Witnesses table are all associated with an individual row of the Decedent Will Information table, and only appear if the row is set to display subtables. For that reason, whether these tables appear in your Will Information page, and where in the Will Information table they appear, will depend on which row, if any, of the Decedent Information table is set to display subtables.
Decedent Will Information table. Contains the will details and allows the details to be edited.
Add Executor button. Used to add a new executor to the case file.
Executors table. Contains the executor details for a particular decedent's will and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Add Witness button. Used to add a new witness to the case file.
Witnesses table. Contains the witness details for a particular decedent's will and allows various actions to be performed on them.
Decedent Will Information Table
The Decedent Will Information table is where the details of decedents' wills are stored. Each row of the table represents an individual decedent. It is not possible to directly add or delete a row from this table; there is automatically a row in this table for each row representing a decedent in the Decedent Information Table on the Decedent Information case page. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Decedent Will Information table contains the following available columns:
[column with no title]: A plus sign
in this column indicates that additional information is available for the row in which the plus sign is located (in this instance, Executors and Witnesses for that Will). Clicking on the plus sign opens the Executors and Witnesses subtables for that will. The plus sign then turns into a negative sign which, when clicked, closes the subtable.Decedent: The deceased plaintiff.
Did Client Die With Will: Whether the decedent left a valid will.
Does Will Have Codicil: Whether the decedent left at least one valid codicil amending the will.
Date of Will: The date the will was signed.
Will Received: Whether your firm has received the will, and either the date the will was received by your firm (if your firm has the will), or the dates that the will was requested by your firm and is expected to be received by your firm (if your firm does not have the will).
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit.
Editing Will Information
To edit information about a decedent's will:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the will information you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for will information, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Will Information Panel
The Add/Edit Will Information Panel allows you to fill in the details of a decedent's will. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
Decedent: The deceased plaintiff.
Did Client Die With Will: Whether the decedent left a valid will.
Does Will Have Codicil: Whether the decedent left at least one valid codicil amending the will.
Date of Will: The date the will was signed.
Will Received: Whether your firm has received the will or not.
Requested Date: The date the will was requested by your firm. This field is uneditable unless Did Client Die With Will is selected. This field does not appear if Will Received is selected.
Expected Date: The date the will is expected to be received by your firm. This field is uneditable unless Did Client Die With Will is selected. This field does not appear if Will Received is selected.
Received Date: The date the will was received by your firm. This field is uneditable unless Did Client Die With Will is selected. This field does not appear unless Will Received is selected.
Executors Table
The Executors table is where the details of the executors of a decedent's will are stored. The Executors table is a subtable of the Decedent Will Information Table, which means that each row of the Decedent Will Information table has an individual Executors table associated with it, which is specific to the decedent in that row; open a row of the Decedent Will Information table using the open/close icon to reveal the associated Executors table. Each row of the table represents an individual executor. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Executors table contains the following available columns:
Executor: The executor of the will and the type of the executor.
Is Petitioner: Whether the executor is the petitioner in the petition for probate.
Relationship: The executor's relationship to the decedent.
Is Our Firm Representing: Whether your firm represents the executor in a contested petition for probate.
Letter of Testamentary: The status of the letter of testamentary, whether issued to the executor, in the process of being issued to the executor, or not yet issued at all.
Comments: Any comments about the executor.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit and Delete.
Editing an Executor
To edit an executor:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the executor you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for executors, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting an Executor
To delete an executor:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the executor you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the executor, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding an Executor
To add a new executor:
Click the Add Executor button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for executors, completely blank.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the executor and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the executor, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Executor Panel
The Add/Edit Executor Panel allows you to fill in the details of an executor. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
Executor: The executor of the will.
[Type]: Whether the executor is the primary nominated executor, an alternative executor, or one of multiple co-executors.
Is Petitioner: Whether the executor is the petitioner in the petition for probate.
Relationship: The executor's relationship to the decedent.
Is Our Firm Representing: Whether your firm represents the executor in a contested petition for probate.
Letter of Testamentary: The status of the letter of testamentary, whether not yet issued, in the process of being issued to the executor, or already issued to the executor.
Comments: Any comments about the executor.
Witnesses Table
The Witnesses table is where the details of the witnesses to a decedent's will are stored. The Witnesses table is a subtable of the Decedent Will Information Table, which means that each row of the Decedent Will Information table has an individual Witnesses table associated with it, which is specific to the decedent in that row; open a row of the Decedent Will Information table using the open/close icon to reveal the associated Witnesses table. Each row of the table represents an individual witness. See Tables for general information about table structure and usage, including all buttons and other tools in this table that are not mentioned below.
Columns in the Table
The Witnesses table contains the following available columns:
Witness for: Whether the witness was a witness to the will or to a codicil.
Witness: The name of the witness.
Affidavit Requested: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit was requested by your firm.
Affidavit Expected: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit is expected to be received by your firm.
Affidavit Received: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit was received by your firm.
Affidavit Filed: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit was filed with the court.
Comments: Any comments about the witness.
[column with no title]: Right-click icon; right-click menu contains Edit and Delete.
Editing a Witness
To edit a witness:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the witness you wish to edit, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Edit option in the menu. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for witnesses, with the existing information filled in.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the changes and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the changes, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
Deleting a Witness
To delete a witness:
Click the right-click icon in the untitled column of the row representing the witness you wish to delete, or right-click anywhere in that row. This will bring up a menu of options.
Click the Delete option in the menu. This will bring up a confirmation message (to avoid accidental deletions).
Click the OK button in the message to confirm the deletion.
If you decide you do not wish to delete the witness, click Cancel instead of clicking OK to cancel the deletion. You can also click the black X at the upper right of the message to do the same thing.
Until you either confirm or cancel the deletion, you may not be able to visit any other tab in your browser.
Adding a Witness
To add a new witness:
Click the Add Witness button. This will bring up an Add/Edit panel for witnesses, completely blank.
Fill the fields in with your desired information.
Click Save to save the witness and close the panel.
If you decide you do not wish to save the witness, click Cancel instead of clicking Save to undo the changes and close the panel. You can also click the white X at the upper right of the panel to do the same thing.
The Add/Edit Witness Panel
The Add/Edit Witness Panel allows you to fill in the details of a witness. See Add/Edit Panels for general information about panel structure and usage. This panel contains the following fields:
Witness for: Whether the witness was a witness to the will or to a codicil.
Witness: The name of the witness.
Affidavit Requested: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit was requested by your firm.
Affidavit Expected: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit is expected to be received by your firm.
Affidavit Received: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit was received by your firm.
Affidavit Filed: The date the witness's self-proving affidavit was filed with the court.
Comments: Any comments about the witness.