Probate Inventory and Deadline Tracker
At the start of a probate administration, and again each time new statements or creditor claims arrive, to keep the inventory, claims and court deadlines in one working file.
Probate administration is a records problem with deadlines attached. Statements, deeds, court orders and creditor claims arrive over months, often from a family member's shoebox, and the attorney has to turn them into an inventory for the court or the beneficiaries, a list of claims that must be allowed or disputed, and a calendar of notice, inventory, claim and accounting deadlines that vary by state.
This prompt organizes what you paste into three working tables: an estate inventory with a value source for each asset and placeholders for date-of-death values, a creditor claim log that flags late, duplicate or unsupported claims, and a deadline tracker keyed to trigger events like the issuance of letters or first publication. It quotes any date a court paper actually states and leaves every statutory deadline as a placeholder for you to fill in.
That last design choice is deliberate. Probate deadlines differ by jurisdiction, by type of administration and sometimes by county, and a confidently wrong date is worse than a blank. Look up each deadline yourself, calendar it in your own system, and confirm values with appraisals. The tracker is a draft for attorney review and does not replace your docketing.
The Prompt
I represent the personal representative of the estate of [DECEDENT NAME], who died on [DATE OF DEATH]. The estate is being administered in [COURT / COUNTY], [JURISDICTION]. Letters were issued on [DATE OF LETTERS]. First publication of notice to creditors: [DATE OR "NOT YET"]. <document name="court_papers"> [PASTE PETITION, ORDER, LETTERS AND ANY NOTICES FILED] </document> <document name="financial_records"> [PASTE ACCOUNT STATEMENTS, DEEDS, TITLES, APPRAISALS AND OTHER ASSET RECORDS] </document> <document name="creditor_claims"> [PASTE CREDITOR CLAIMS, BILLS AND DEMAND LETTERS RECEIVED] </document> Produce three things: 1. Estate inventory table: Asset | Description | Location or institution | Value source (statement, appraisal, assessor, none yet) | Date-of-death value: leave as [DOD VALUE] unless a document states the value as of the date of death, and if so quote it | Probate or non-probate (if the documents show it) | Notes. 2. Creditor claim log: Creditor | Amount claimed | Date received | Basis stated | Supporting documents | Issues to review (late, duplicate, unsupported, secured) | Status. 3. Deadline tracker: Task | Trigger event and date | Deadline written as [JURISDICTION DEADLINE: VERIFY] | Source in the documents (quote it if a court paper states a date) | Responsible person. Include, at minimum: notice to heirs and beneficiaries, published notice to creditors, mailed notice to known or reasonably ascertainable creditors, the inventory (filing or service, if required), the creditor claim period, responses to claims, tax filings to discuss with the estate's accountant, accountings and closing. Do not supply statutory deadlines from memory. Use dates only where a pasted document states them, and otherwise leave the placeholder. Flag missing records, assets mentioned but not documented, and anything that looks inconsistent. This is a draft for attorney review, and every deadline and rule must be verified against [JURISDICTION] law and local rules.
Example Output
Three working tables: an estate inventory with value sources and date-of-death placeholders, a creditor claim log with issues flagged, and a deadline tracker tied to trigger dates.
Illustrative example — names, figures, and facts are fictional.
PROBATE WORKING FILE (DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW) Estate of Winifred Castellane | DOD: 02/11/2026 | Letters issued: 04/03/2026 1. INVENTORY Asset | Location | Value source | DOD value | Probate? | Notes Residence, 88 Quarry Rd | County records | Assessor (2025) | [DOD VALUE] | Yes | Appraisal needed Savings, credit union | Credit union | Feb 2026 statement | [DOD VALUE] | Yes | Statement is month-end, not DOD Vehicle, 2017 sedan | Residence | None yet | [DOD VALUE] | Yes | Title not provided Life insurance | Insurer | Beneficiary letter | n/a | No | Payable to daughter per letter Jewelry | Mentioned in petition | None | [DOD VALUE] | Unclear | Not documented 2. CREDITOR CLAIMS Creditor | Amount | Received | Issues | Status Medical group (physician billing) | $4,812.00 | 05/02/2026 | Itemization missing | Request support Medical group (physician billing) | $4,812.00 | 05/20/2026 | Possible duplicate of 05/02 claim | Review Card issuer | $2,190.44 | 06/30/2026 | Confirm timeliness against claim period | Review 3. DEADLINES Task | Trigger | Deadline | Source | Responsible Notice to heirs | Letters 04/03/2026 | [JURISDICTION DEADLINE: VERIFY] | Order para. 4 says "as required by law" | [NAME] Notice to creditors | First publication [DATE] | [JURISDICTION DEADLINE: VERIFY] | Not in documents | [NAME] Inventory | Letters 04/03/2026 | 07/02/2026 (Order para. 6: "within 90 days of issuance of letters") [VERIFY calculation] | Order | [NAME] Creditor claim period | First publication | [JURISDICTION DEADLINE: VERIFY] | Not in documents | [NAME] Final accounting | [TRIGGER] | [JURISDICTION DEADLINE: VERIFY] | Not in documents | [NAME] GAPS - No publication affidavit provided. - Jewelry and vehicle lack documentation.
Tips
- •Give Claude the date letters issued and the date notice was first published. Many administration deadlines run from one of those triggers, though some run from the date of death.
- •Look up each deadline in your jurisdiction's statutes and local rules, then paste them back in so Claude can calculate dates. The prompt leaves them blank on purpose.
- •Keep date-of-death values as placeholders until you have appraisals or valuation statements. A month-end balance is not a date-of-death value.
- •Rerun the creditor log each time a claim arrives and ask Claude to flag duplicates against earlier entries.
- •Calendar every verified deadline in your own docketing system. The tracker is a draft for attorney review, not a calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't the prompt fill in probate deadlines automatically?
Because they vary by state, by type of administration and sometimes by local rule, and an AI-supplied deadline that looks right but is wrong can cause real harm. The prompt uses dates a pasted court document actually states and leaves the rest as placeholders. Look up each deadline, paste the rules back in, and ask Claude to calculate dates from the triggers.
Can I use the inventory table for the court filing?
Use it as the working draft. Courts often require a specific form or format, and values must come from appraisals or other reliable date-of-death sources. Transfer verified figures into the required form yourself, and check that non-probate assets are handled the way your jurisdiction requires before filing.
How does it handle creditor claims that look late or duplicated?
It flags them for review rather than deciding. Whether a claim is timely depends on your jurisdiction's claim period and how notice was given, and whether a duplicate is truly a duplicate depends on the underlying account. The log puts the issue in front of you with the source documents so you can decide whether to allow or dispute it.
Should I paste the decedent's full financial records?
Paste what you need to identify and value assets, and redact account numbers and personal identifiers that do not matter to the inventory. Follow ABA Model Rule 1.6 and your firm's AI policy, and use a Claude plan with appropriate data protections for client information.
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