Estate Planning and Probate Administration

The uncertainty faced by clients and their families when confronted with trying aging, illness, disability and estate distribution is daunting.

The attorneys at ENGELMAN & SMITH have over three decades of experience in addressing the legal challenges of planning in an uncertain environment. We can help you create a plan to manage, administer and distribute assets both during your lifetime and after, while considering the personalities of future recipients, and the issues of business succession, asset protection, tax reduction and insurance. If you are a young family starting out, you may need a simple will, one that provides for guardians to raise your children in the event something happens to you and your spouse and also includes a testamentary trust to address your children’s financial needs. If you have accumulated assets, you may need a will that takes full advantage of the unified credit and marital deduction to minimize tax consequences on your estate or an inter-vivos trust to avoid the costs, expense and delays of probate.

Life is uncertain, and estate planning requires the ability to adapt to unforseen events. At ENGELMAN & SMITH, we can assist you in seeking guardianships over loved ones who cannot care for themselves, whether due to age, accident, or illness. And we can also assist you through the process of trust administration or probate when necessary.