Probate, Estate & Trust Administration
Probate is the legal process by which property that was owned by an individual at death (without any other legal arrangement for distribution such as joint ownership or designation of beneficiaries) is distributed to the beneficiaries named in the individual’s will or to those persons designated by law if there is no will.
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Probate administration generally includes opening the estate by filing a petition and related documents within the appropriate jurisdiction(s) resulting in the appointment by the court of a Personal Representative (commonly known of as a Executor); obtaining date of death valuations of all of the decedent’s property, consolidating assets into estate accounts; filing the inventories and accounts similar reports as appropriate for the jurisdiction, filing all personal income tax returns for the decedent and fiduciary income tax returns for the estate, Federal and state estate or inheritance tax returns as necessary, and upon completion of all other work, distribution to the beneficiaries or heirs of the estate.
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Our Firm has helped many families complete this journey, always with an understanding of the loss that precipitated the necessity of the proceedings. We are ready to assist your family with all aspects of the probate process or to any extent desired with administration of the estate.
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Can we help you in the areas of Probate, Estate, or Trust Administration? Contact us to discuss your situation.
How Else Can We Help?
Our firm is highly specialized in both Elder Law and Disability Law. This means that our accomplished attorneys can assist you in everything from Estate Planning to Medicaid eligibility to Special Needs Trusts.
Special Needs Trusts & Disability Planning
We can inform you of your estate planning options, including which special needs trust is best suited for your family. The goal is to assure that your disabled family member retains or can become eligible for public benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income and Medical Assistance.