Estate Administration

Experienced Estate Administration Legal Representation

The team at SWTW represents clients in complex estate administration and sophisticated probate transactions involving real estate, business entities, charitable gifts, and high-value assets. While the terms "estate administration" and "probate" are often used to describe a wide range of issues in various contexts, it may be easiest to define the process as the court-managed process of organizing, valuing, and distributing the assets of a person upon his or her death. It often includes the following:

· Providing notice to heirs, whether under a Will or the state's intestate statute

· Completing an inventory and appraisal of the decedent's assets

· Selling estate assets as necessary and approved by the court

· Determining the priority of lawful debts and making payments to creditors and taxing authorities

· Setting up protections (e.g. conservatorships) for minor children or disabled adults who inherit property

· Keeping records of work and transactions and reporting to the court

· Participating in court hearings, auctions, or other events in furtherance of the administration of the estate

· Closing the estate and making final distributions

Our Role in Probate Cases

Our attorneys have extensive experience in all phases of estate administration. Sometimes our work entails representing clients from the beginning to the end of the probate process. In other cases, it involves representation in a limited capacity involving a very sophisticated matter. One such issue we commonly handle for clients is the purchase of all or some of the estate's real property by investors. These types of transactions require expertise in everything from negotiating purchase price and conducting meetings with multiple heirs to handling property maintenance while in probate and working with zoning and land use representatives for future use approval. Similarly, our team of estate admin lawyers are often called upon to help with the sale of a business, facilitation of large charitable gifts, or other specialized transactions under the purview of the probate court.

Contact the SWTW Estate Administration Team Today

If you are in need of experienced legal representation in an estate administration or probate matter, please contact our office today. All information is kept strictly confidential, even if you choose to hire another law firm for your matter. We will work with you to achieve your goals in a straightforward and honest manner, a commitment we've kept since our founding in 1986.