Probate & Estate Planning

Our Probate practice provides legal services related to the administration of estates and the distribution of assets after an individual’s death and work with clients to navigate the legal processes involved in settling an estate. Key components of our probate law practice include:

1. Estate Planning:
   • Assisting clients in creating comprehensive estate plans, which may include drafting wills, establishing trusts and/or family limited partnerships and designating beneficiaries to ensure the orderly distribution of assets upon their death.
2. Probate Administration:
   • Guiding executors, administrators, and personal representatives through the probate process, which involves validating the will (if one exists), gathering and appraising assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to heirs or beneficiaries.
3. Asset Distribution:
   • Overseeing the fair and legal distribution of assets in accordance with the deceased individual’s wishes, whether articulated in a valid will or determined by state intestacy laws in the absence of a will.
4. Guardianship and Conservatorship Matters:
   • Assisting clients with the establishment of guardianships and conservatorships for minor children or individuals who are unable to manage their own affairs due to incapacity.
5. Probate Avoidance Strategies:
   • Advising clients on methods to minimize the need for probate, such as establishing living trusts, joint tenancy arrangements, and other estate planning tools that facilitate the seamless transfer of assets outside the probate process.