Protecting Your Legacy: Estate Planning and Estate Administration
Estate Planning
No matter what stage of life you are in or the size of your estate, we can help you devise a plan to handle your personal and financial affairs during life and after your death. Our attorneys have years of experience in working with clients to develop customized estate plans based on each client’s unique situation, needs, and goals. Effective estate planning allows you to plan for death and disability or incapacity, to name those individuals or entities you wish to handle your affairs for you, and to design a plan for the disposition of your assets after your death. We can assist you in developing an estate plan including, but not limited to, the following:
- Wills
- Revocable (living) trusts
- Irrevocable trusts
- Charitable trusts
- Insurance trusts
- Durable powers of attorney
- Designations of health care surrogate
- Living wills
- Declarations of preneed guardian
Probate and Estate Administration
After the passing of a loved one, you are often faced with many issues and decisions. The probate and estate administration process can be complex, time-consuming, and stressful. Personal Representatives and Trustees have an important fiduciary responsibility to make sure that your estate and affairs are handled properly. Certain tax elections may have to be made, and the surviving spouse may have elections available to him or her that must be made in a timely manner.
Our attorneys have extensive experience assisting clients with the process of probating estates and administering estates and trusts. Even if you have created and implemented an estate plan designed to avoid probate, you may still need guidance with identifying and valuing assets, dealing with debts and creditors, and distributing assets to beneficiaries. We represent clients through all phases of estates and trusts and can assist you with the entire administration process or guide you through a select part of it.