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Sanders, Bruin, Coll & Worley, P.A. offers a full range of services in the area of estate planning, probate, and guardianship/conservatorship matters. Our experienced professionals can assist you and work with other professionals in handling sensitive matters involving the planning of your estate, dealing with issues that arise after the death of a loved one or situations involving a person's incapacity.
We can help you prepare trusts, wills, business and health care powers of attorney, and other estate planning documentation. In addition, we have extensive experience dealing with probate cases involving large taxable and complex estates. We also can represent you in disputes involving will contests, trust litigation and guardianship / conservatorship issues. The law firm's experience in these matters allows for a comprehensive representation.
What is Probate?
Probate is the process of submitting a will to the court to divide up and distribute a deceased person’s estate. The term probate is also often used to refer to cases involving a determination of heirship where the decedent (the deceased person) left no will. A person who has left no will is said to have died intestate.
The first steps in any probate action are to petition the court to have a person appointed personal representative, which is the person responsible for taking an inventory of the decedent’s assets and ultimately distributing them to the heirs and/or beneficiaries. The personal representative may have been named in the decedent’s will. Otherwise, the personal representative may just be what the court calls an interested person, meaning someone interested in the settlement of the deceased person’s estate.
Whether a probate is contested and there will be a significant fight over assets, or uncontested, our estate planning lawyers have the resources to tackle the unique circumstances and issues in your case. We are experienced in handling probate cases from start to finish.
What is involved in Estate Planning?
We also assist clients regularly with the drafting of their estate planning documents. A typical estate planning package for a married couple involves wills for each spouse, a health care power of attorney for each, and a financial power of attorney for each. If necessary, we also prepare living trusts for clients that have a specific need for the protection of a trust. The needs of each estate planning client are unique, and we take the time to explore what is right for you.
