Hi does anyone deal with life insurance

My husbands brother died leaving his estate to their mother. There was a life ins policy of 250K that was left to ex wife. (not the childrens mother, a later wife- ordered by the judge) His children from a previous marriage had a POA and changed the benificuary 28 days before he died. The lawyers have all agreeed that this was illegal. The ins company paid out the money. The estate is insolvable without this money. Any ideas? The children were not listed in any way as benificuaries...they changed the benificuary without him knowing. The ex wife had a divorce decree stating that the life insurance money was in place to pay off their loans of 180K and the kids changed it.