Probate, Trust Administration and Beneficiary Representation
The administration of an estate or trust requires attention to detail. Many decisions with substantial financial and emotional impact must be made quickly and at a difficult time. We’d like to help you navigate these details and decisions by focusing on the documents and legal processes and freeing you to focus on family, grief, and personal healing.
Probate
When someone we love dies, someone else must compile the decedent’s estate planning documents and review them to understand the loved one’s wishes. This is often an overwhelming task because the documents are full of legal and financial requirements and confusing language. If you have the responsibility of settling the affairs of a loved one, give us a call. We can review the documents and make sure that all of the paperwork is completed properly, guide it though the court process and prevent mistakes that may lead to processing delays and disputes among beneficiaries, friends and family members.
Trust Administration
If you are the beneficiary or trustee of a trust, or you need someone to serve as the trustee of your trust, give us a call.
Frequently, upon the passing of a creator or beneficiary of a trust, the first steps are to get organized and get documentation. Obtaining death certificates, inventorying assets, reviewing trust investments, notifying financial institutions and beneficiaries, gathering relevant documents and creating a record keeping system will facilitate the administration of the trust’s terms and assets. Doing so will expedite the distribution and protection of trust assets, ensure the care and benefit of the beneficiaries, and mitigate the risk of the trustee’s breach of fiduciary duty. Support of an effective, transparent, and cooperative relationship between the trustee and the beneficiary will be enhanced if these steps are followed.
Whether you are a trustee or a beneficiary, making sure that laws are complied with and tax considerations are discussed prior to distribution of the assets will benefit everyone.
Beneficiary Representation
If you are the beneficiary of an estate or trust and concerned that the trustee, executor, or personal representative is withholding information, jeopardizing your interests or preventing you from receiving distributions or an inheritance, we would like to speak about ensuring your interests are protected.
Even if you just have questions about your rights, we’d like to help you make sure that communication is flowing and transparency is applied so that you can have confidence in the management of the assets and the amounts distributed.