Estate Planning and Administration
We pride ourselves for having maintained many longstanding clients. Our Firm services a broad and varying range of clients and offers customized, state-of-the-art estate planning and tax related services designed to address each client’s unique family situation and financial status. Some of our clients have small, uncomplicated estates while others present us with large, extremely complex family and financial planning challenges. No matter the size of the estate or problem, our clients bring to us we are ready to help.
The firm provides assistance with:
- Tax Planning
- Will Preparation
- Financial Powers of Attorney
- Health Care Powers of Attorney
- Living Wills
- Trusts
- Guardianships
- Post-mortem planning
- Federal Estate and Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Return Preparation
While an overall goal of any well-formed estate plan must be wealth preservation through the reduction, if not elimination, of potential death taxes, equal consideration must be given to the eventual administration and disposition of preserved wealth. Particular consideration and attention are given to situational issues within the family, including intended beneficiaries with special considerations, albeit relational, medical, or age specific. The balance between the financial and familial needs is a delicate one. A satisfied client is one who, upon completion of his or her estate plan, has the peace of mind that not only has the client preserved assets for loved ones upon his or her death, but that the client has put in place a solid post-mortem plan that will provide the necessary comfort and stability for surviving loved ones.
How we make the right plan for you:
We recognize that addressing mortality often is difficult, painful, and burdensome for the client. With that in mind, our estate planning process begins with an initial, relaxed meeting attended by the client and experienced counsel. The initial meeting is an opportunity for the client to achieve a comfort level with counsel and for counsel to put the client at ease and elicit the necessary information to formulate the best tailored estate plan. After this there often are follow-up meetings and other communications between the client and our team to develop and strengthen the estate plan. Thereafter, our lawyers will prepare the customized estate planning documents, which, at a minimum should include the Will, Financial Power of Attorney and Health Care Power of Attorney/Living Will. Supplemental documents, including inter vivos Trust(s), may form a part of the estate plan where advisable. Clients are given the opportunity to review the draft estate planning documents in the comfort and privacy of their home and then to follow up with counsel with questions resulting in the final product. Once the estate planning documents are in place, we encourage our clients to review their estate plan at least every five (5) years so as to address any changes. This review process is ever so important with the recent lax law changes.
Estate Administration:
When we sadly lose one of our clients with whom we have formed both a professional and personal relationship, we are available and prepared to counsel and assist the personal representative with the estate administration. Our estate administration services are all inclusive ranging from the probate process to the preparation of the death tax returns to post-mortem planning. We take great pride in the fact that the personal representatives have full access to the attorney assigned to oversee the Estate administration, often the very one who worked with the deceased client and helped formulate his or her estate plan. When litigation becomes necessary, we are prepared to address Estate administration challenges before the respective Orphans’ Court.
We are routinely engaged by estate executors to handle the entire estate administration process, both Federal and Pennsylvania, from beginning to end. Generally, this will entail probate proceedings, marshalling of all estate assets, and payment of all debts, preparation of Federal and State Death Tax Returns, and final distribution of estate assets to the designated beneficiaries.
