AREAS OF PRACTICE
Probate
The formal legal Court proceeding that occurs when a person dies with or without a Will in order to administer his/her estate.
Appointment of an executor, inventory of assets, payment of the decedent's debts and obligations, identifying beneficiaries and ultimately distributing the assets to those heirs, are all actions that will be presented and passed on by the Court in the proceedings.
Estate Planning
The creation of a Will and/or a Trust, along with other important associated documents, to insure that you are prepared when death or disaster strike your family. Death, like birth, is a part of the cycle of life. Are you prepared for what will happen?
Wills / Trusts
Wills and Revocable Living Trusts, are created when you are alive and are by far the most common and estate planning instruments. Although costing more, a Trust provides coverage and protection while you are still living, while a Will only becomes effective on death. In a comprehensive plan, both are used to work together.
Trust Administration
On the death of one spouse, in the case of a Trust for a married couple, or on the death of a single person Trust, the successor Trustee has the duty to follow the terms of the Trust. The Trust terms could direct any number of actions: it could create a sub-trust for a spouse, child or grandchildren, create a life estate, direct immediate cash or personal property distributions or condition distribution in any manner the Trustor (the person creating the Trust) determines is best.
Estate and Trust Accounting
Supported by a paralegal with over 23 years experience and hundreds of Court approved accountings, the FREED LAW OFFICE can assist you to meet your fiduciary obligations to keep the beneficiaries informed.