How does a family member see a will before probate proceedings, in order to contest it?

Depending on the family dynamics, it may not be possible to get a copy of the will or review the will before it is admitted to probate.  Probate means to simply "register" the will and once it is probated, it is a public document and you are entitled to a copy of it.  If you disagree with the will, or think that it was created because of undue influence, you can file a challenge in the court to dispute the will.  You can call the surrogate's office in the county in which the person died and ask whether a will for their estate has been admitted to probate. There is also something called a "caveat" which will prevent the probate of a will. If you file a caveat, then anyone trying to admit a will to probate will be prevented from completing the probate.  you should file a caveat if you think someone will try to file a fake will, or if the person had more than one will and you are not sure which one is valid.  If you file a caveat, and someone tries to probate the will, you will get notice of that, and they will not be able to probate unless and until you remove the caveat.