I was informed that my "Dad" passed
Condolences.
I had a power of attorney,
Useless since the moment of his passing.
While we had no legal relationship I was known locally to be his daughter and my children are his grandchildren. I and my adult daughter were his emergency contacts. What are my responsibilities and what am I required to do in the process of finalizing his estate and where do I even start, I am looking into probate attorneys, but I am not sure I have the right to do so.
By "no legal relationship" I conclude that you were raised as his daughter without any adoption.
That gives you no legal rights and no legal obligations unless you were named in his will or were named as beneficiary on his accounts.
That he was "estranged" from his siblings is meaningless in probate law. With no surviving spouse and no natural or adopted children, the siblings inherit under intestacy unless, again, there is a will or beneficiary accounts that say otherwise.
What are my responsibilities
None
what am I required to do in the process of finalizing his estate
Nothing.
You certainly have the option of going to the local probate court in the county where he died and asking to be appointed representative of the estate.
But before you do that, answer these questions:
1 - Who took care of the funeral?
2 - Who went to his home and cleaned it out?
3 - Who notified you of his death?
4 - What's been done with his estate so far? Did he have a will? You can contact the local probate court in the county where he died and find out if probate has been opened. If it has, it will be public record and you should be able to get a copy of the file.
My guess is that the "estranged" siblings are already all over this if there is anything of value to smell.
