PROBATE AND ESTATE PLANNING

PROBATE / ESTATE ADMINISTRATION

Probating an estate and estate aministration refers to the complete process of administering a deceased person’s estate in state court.

The estate administration process includes:

• Filing any will with a local court. If there’s no will and the deceased person didn’t transfer property by contract or operation of law, such as through a life insurance policy or joint tenancy, the estate must still go through probate.
  
  
• Having any will proved valid to the court (typically a routine process)
  
  
• Appointing a personal representative (executor)
  
  
• Identifying, inventorying and marshalling assets
  
  
• Paying any debts and taxes
  
  
• Distributing the probate estate property

TRUST ADMINISTRATION
Trust administration involves overseeing and managing assets held within a trust. Trust administration is largely removed from any court oversight and is managed privately by a trustee.

GUARDIANSHIPS
A guardian is someone who is chosen -- either by a court or by being named in a legal document such as a will -- to make decisions for someone (generally referred to as the "ward") who cannot make decisions for him or herself.

The types of decisions that a guardian might make include:

• Giving consent to medical care or treatment.
  
  
• Purchasing or arranging for purchase of such basic necessities as clothes, food, cars, household items, and other personal items.
  
  
• Educational needs.

When Guardians are Appointed A guardianship requires that someone act on behalf of and protect the ward if he/she is incapable of acting for A court appoints a guardian when a potential ward is incapacitated and cannot make decisions for him or herself because of a mental or physical disability, disease, or addiction to alcohol or other drugs. When a minor has no adult or other family member to make certain decisions on the minor's behalf until they reach the age of majority, a court can be asked to appoint a guardian for the minor.

Conservatorship
Same as Guardianship except the person chosen as a conservator manages the financial affairs and assets of another person.

The Skore Law Firm also specializes in the preparation of:

• Wills
  
  
• Trusts
  
  
• Healthcare Power of Attorneys (Living Wills)
  
  
• Durable Powers of Attorneys
  
  
• Asset Protection
  
  
• Elder Law