ORPHANS' COURT PROCEDURAL RULES COMMITTEE Proposed Electronic Forms [35 Pa.B. 6092] The Orphans' Court Procedural Rules Committee is re-publishing the following forms in electronic format (''e-forms''). The Committee proposes to recommend these forms to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for adoption so that they can be used before the Orphans' Court Divisions and Registers of Wills of this Commonwealth. The Committee has revised several of the forms in response to the comments received from the bench and bar after their original publication on June 18, 2005. In addition, there are two new forms which have been added--a Petition for Adjudication in a Minor's Estate and an Inventory for Incapacitated Persons and Minors.
The Orphans' Court Procedural Rules Committee proposes to recommend adoption of the Orphans' Court e-forms to promote uniformity and standardize the content of pleadings and forms in use across the state without supplanting local forms. The Committee believes that the use of these forms will promote judicial economy and improve accessibility to the Orphans' Courts of this Commonwealth. The Register's forms vary only slightly from previously approved printed forms.
The draft statewide e-forms are posted on the website of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (''AOPC'') at the following internet address: www.aopc.org/index/supctcmtes/orphctrules/eforms.asp, from which the forms can be downloaded and copies can be printed. Hard copies of the forms can also be obtained upon request by contacting the Committee.
The following draft statewide e-forms are submitted for comment:
Administration--Audit Forms
Petition for Adjudication--Decedent's Estate
Petition for Adjudication--Trust Estate
Petition for Adjudication--Guardian of Estate of Incapacitated Person
Petition for Adjudication--Guardian of Estate of Minor
Petition for Adjudication--Principal's Estate under Power of Attorney
Charitable Gift Notice
Notice of ClaimGuardianship Forms
Annual Report of Guardian of the Estate
Annual Report of Guardian of the Person
Inventory--For Incapacitate or Minor's EstateForms for Register of Wills
Estate Information Sheet
Petition for Probate
Oath of Subscribing Witness
Oath of Non-Subscribing Witness
Renunciation
Rule 5.6 Notice
Rule 5.7 Certification of Rule 5.6 Notice
Inventory
Rule 6.12 Status ReportThe Committee solicits input from attorneys, judges and court administrators as to both the form and substance of these draft e-forms. All communications in reference to the proposed e-forms should be sent, no later than December 6, 2005, to the following address:
Dean R. Phillips, Chief Counsel
Rebecca M. Darr, Deputy Counsel
Orphans' Court Procedural Rules Committee
5035 Ritter Road, Suite 700
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
Or via e-mail to:
orphanrules@pacourts.usMARY JANE BARRETT,
Chair[Pa.B. Doc. No. 05-2017. Filed for public inspection November 4, 2005, 9:00 a.m.]