Probate and estate administration cover the entire legal process necessary to settle a person’s estate after death. The appointed representative (usually a family member) opens the probate case in court. With the court’s help, they’ll work through all the financial business the decedent left behind. This includes disposing of personal property, money, real property, or anything else the deceased owned at the time of their death. Estate administration also deals with any debts. You can get advice and support from a probate attorney in New Hampshire and Vermont.
A number of steps must be taken between death and the distribution of assets. Though each estate is unique, common steps include:
Legacy Counsellors North, PLLC, dba Caldwell Law, can help you understand and manage your role as a personal representative while navigating the estate administration process in New Hampshire and Vermont. If you are creating an estate plan and want to avoid probate court, a probate attorney offers strategies involving trusts, joint titles, payable-on-death accounts, and transfer-on-death accounts.
When your loved one dies, leaving you as their trustee, you are responsible for their trust administration. For many, trust administration is an unfamiliar process with many deadlines and actions that can feel overwhelming.
A trustee takes legal ownership of the assets held by a trust and assumes responsibility for managing those assets and carrying out the trust’s objectives. Our firm can help you understand and manage your role as a trustee while navigating the trust settlement process in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Trustee responsibilities can include:
The trustee must keep complete, accurate, and detailed records of all income collected, expenses, purchases, sales, and other transactions of the trust.
