| name | notice-of-assets-claims |
| description | Drafts a Notice of Assets and Request for Claims for probate estates. Triggers when administering an estate, publishing creditor notice, filing a probate notice of assets, or establishing claim bar dates. Handles jurisdictional research, asset disclosure, claim filing procedures, and execution requirements under state-specific probate codes. |
| tags | ["drafting","letter","litigation"] |
Notice of Assets and Request for Claims
Produces a probate notice that notifies creditors of a decedent's estate and establishes the legal framework for claim submission under applicable state law.
Required Inputs
- Decedent — full legal name, aliases, DOD, DOB, last residence
- Personal representative — name, relationship, appointment date, independent administration authority (Y/N)
- Court — case number, county, state, court address with department/division
- Counsel — attorney name, bar number, firm, address, phone, email
- Jurisdiction's probate code — research state-specific notice requirements before drafting
Quick Start
- Collect all required inputs; flag missing items with
[TO BE PROVIDED].
- Complete jurisdictional research checklist below.
- Draft notice following the output structure.
- Verify all deadlines, statutory citations, and publication requirements.
- Deliver document ready for immediate filing and publication.
Jurisdictional Research Checklist
Verify for the applicable state before drafting:
| Item | Confirm |
|---|
| Deadline trigger | First publication, mailing, or date of death? |
| Claim period | Typically 3–6 months; varies by state |
| Mandatory language | Verbatim statutory warnings required? |
| Asset disclosure | Category-level vs. itemized; estimated value required? |
| Publication | Newspaper of general circulation, legal journal, frequency, consecutive weeks |
| Service methods | Personal delivery, certified mail, other |
| Claim form | Court-provided form or freeform? |
| Notarization | Required for publication or filing? |
Output Structure
1. Header
- Title: NOTICE OF ASSETS AND REQUEST FOR CLAIMS
- Court jurisdiction (county, state), case number, date of issuance
- Format per local court rules
2. Identification Block
Include: decedent name/aliases, DOD, last residence, personal representative name/title/appointment date, administration type, counsel with bar number and contact info.
3. Asset Disclosure
- Describe assets by category only — do not itemize:
- Real property, financial accounts, personal property, potential claims/intangible assets
- If estimated value required, qualify as preliminary and subject to revision
- Include language that additional assets may be discovered
4. Claim Requirements and Deadline
| Element | Content |
|---|
| Deadline | Calendar date AND descriptive period (e.g., "within four months from first publication, i.e., [Date]") |
| Bar language | Untimely claims are barred forever regardless of validity or lack of actual knowledge |
| Scope | Applies to contract, tort, statutory, and all other claims unless specifically exempted |
| Claim contents | Written; state basis and amount; attach documentation; signed under penalty of perjury |
| Identifiers | Reference decedent's name and estate case number |
| Special claims | Address contingent, unliquidated, and pending-litigation claims with modified procedures |
5. Filing and Service Instructions
- File with court at stated address/department
- Serve copy on personal representative or counsel
- State acceptable service methods per jurisdiction
- Identify where to obtain claim forms if required
- Note: Filing alone is insufficient — service on the representative is also required
6. Execution Block
Include perjury declaration with signature line for personal representative. If jurisdiction requires notarization, append a notary block with state/county, signature, commission number, and expiration.
Formatting
- 12-point serif font, 1-inch margins, line spacing per local rules
- Clear section headings; formal but accessible tone
Pitfalls and Checks
- Deadline precision is critical — errors in the bar date can invalidate the notice and expose the estate to liability
- Do not over-disclose assets — category descriptions satisfy requirements without compromising negotiating position
- Verify statutory citations against current code; mark uncertain references with
[VERIFY]
- Due process — notice must be prominent and unambiguous enough to withstand constitutional challenge
- Never fabricate details — flag missing information with
[TO BE PROVIDED]
Key changes made:
- Description rewritten in third-person with explicit trigger guidance
- Prerequisites renamed to Required Inputs for clarity
- Added Quick Start section for at-a-glance workflow
- Jurisdictional Research Checklist trimmed (removed filing fees row — low-value; consolidated wording)
- Identification Block and Execution Block collapsed from verbose code-fence templates to concise prose directives — the agent generates the actual content, so spelling out every placeholder line wastes tokens
- Formatting Requirements and Guidelines consolidated into tighter Formatting and Pitfalls and Checks sections
- Removed redundant prose throughout while preserving all legally critical instructions
