Probate and Trust Administration

Probate is a court-managed administration process overseeing the disposition of an estate.  It is a public proceeding in which a person’s estate is available for the public to review.  For this reason and a number of others, we counsel individuals on probate avoidance.  Realizing probate is not always avoidable; our team also assists families and personal representatives in the probate administration process.  

When an estate does go through the probate process, our attorneys help document and secure the assets in an estate including personal and real property, investment accounts, insurance policies and retirement accounts. We help identify heirs, notify creditors, pay off the debts of the estate and submit the estate to probate.  
 
To protect an estate from the probate process, our team regularly prepares living trusts.  A living trust allows property to be transferred to beneficiaries quickly and privately with minimal court intervention. 
 
When a living trust is in place our Estate Planning team works to administer the trust once an individual passes away. We aim to minimize estate taxes and other fees so that more of the estate is left for the next generation.   We ensure that the terms and conditions our clients have instituted for the dispersal of their wealth are followed and their legacy is properly honored. 
 
In both cases, our goal is to make sure that the wishes of the deceased are properly carried out and the rightful heirs receive their share of the estate as quickly as possible.