When a person dies without a will, his or her parents, siblings, grandparents, and other collateral relatives may inherit a share of the intestate estate. You’ve already learned about the intestate share that a surviving spouse and any descendants may receive. Today, you’ll be learning about the share that a collateral relative may receive under the law of intestacy.

To start off our discussion, we’ll define who may be a collateral relative, covering issues such as half bloods, deserting...