Estate & Trust Administration

Fischer, Brown, Bartlett & Gunn's attorneys advise and assist individual and professional fiduciaries, including personal representatives, trustees and agents, with regard to both basic and complex legal and financial issues relating to the administration of the estate of a decedent or incapacitated person and to the administration of inter vivos and testamentary trusts. We provide skilled counseling and advocacy to make the administration process as smooth as possible.

Our estate administration services include assisting with probate. Probate is the court process through which a person’s estate is administered. A personal representative is the person(s) appointed by the Court to administer the probate estate. We work closely with personal representatives to identify, inventory and value estate property, determine and pay all legitimate creditors, prepare and file estate tax returns, and distribute property as directed by a will or state law.

Upon the death of a creator of a trust, a trustee’s duties are similar to those of a personal representative. Unless required by a trust agreement, however, a trust may be administered by a trustee without court oversight. Our trust administration services include advising trustees with regard to legal issues associated with creation, operation and termination of a trust.

Estate & Trust Administration Attorneys