Solicitor and mediator, Justin Patten, has published ‘The Out-of-Court Executor: How to Defuse Family Disputes, Protect Yourself, and Settle the Estate’, a practical guide to probate disputes, estate deadlock and the financial consequences of delay.
The guide tackles situations such as a caveat prevents a Grant, a co-executor refuses to cooperate, beneficiaries demand information, or a threatened family claim holds up distribution. While disagreements continue, estate expenses accumulate and personal representatives face difficult decisions about their responsibilities.
The book by Patten, drawing on 20 years of dispute-resolution experience, introduces the Six Pillars diagnostic method. The method examines evidence, procedural status, legal rights and duties, economics, behaviour and resolution options to help readers identify what is preventing progress.
Patten says the handbook explains how to distinguish documented facts from allegations, understand relevant Probate Registry procedures, assess risks before taking action, and prepare for negotiation, mediation or court directions.
The guide also provides access to four companion tools supporting preparation and understanding, including an executor deadlock information builder, a post-grant resolution planner, an estate carrying-cost calculator and an ADR preparation questionnaire.
Justin Patten describes the book as written for executors, administrators and professional advisers, that recognises that some disputes require specialist litigation advice or judicial determination.
Its objective is to help readers understand the problem, protect the estate and choose the appropriate route forward. Where proceedings become necessary, structured preparation can help narrow the issues and preserve relevant evidence.
Justin Patten’s The Out-of-Court Executor: How to Defuse Family Disputes, Protect Yourself, and Settle the Estate is available in paperback and Kindle, on Amazon.
