Wills, Trusts and Probate Law

Probate attorneys handling wills, trusts, and estate administration must typically advise their clients on matters such as beneficiary designation, how to form a life estate in property, what will happen to property if your client fails to make an estate plan, and more. FindLaw’s Corporate Counsel Center Law Library has law articles written to help you better understand specific estate planning techniques and when to consider forming a trust on your client’s behalf. If your client needs a living will or an advance health care directive, click on the articles below to help inform your research and learn the requirements of each state, such as the number of witnesses necessary and who can be designated as a health care surrogate.

Law Library

Wills, Trusts and Probate Law Articles

The Basics of Estate Planning

Most people have a simple methodology for estate planning. That method is avoidance. However, avoiding estate planning issues, or waiting too long to take specific common sense steps toward estate planning can be devastating to your estate and your ...
Read More »
The Benefits of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

An Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("ESOP") is a defined contribution employee benefit plan that invests primarily in the stock of the employer company. To set up an ESOP, a company creates a trust fund for employees and funds it by one or a ...
Read More »
The Benefits of Charitable Remainder Trusts

Dramatic savings in taxes as well as an enhancement of retirement benefits and wealth passing to your heirs can be achieved through the use of a charitable remainder trust in conjunction with an irrevocable life insurance trust. Charitable remainder ...
Read More »
The Canadian Income Trust Market

An income trust allows stable, profitable businesses to operate under a tax efficient structure to regularly distribute cash flow generated by the business to holders of units of the income trust. The income trust structure has grown in popularity ...
Read More »
The Choice: Will or Revocable Trust?

A common question often asked by clients during an estate planning conference concerns the advantages and disadvantages of using a Revocable Trust as opposed to a Will for estate planning purposes. This article will compare and contrast the ...
Read More »
The Court-Appointed, Surrogate Decision Makers, Guardians and Conservators

NOVEMBER 6, 2002 Advances in health care and in treatment of diseases in our society have resulted in longer life expectancy. Unfortunately, the gains we have made in improving our physical well-being have not been matched with longevity in our ...
Read More »
The Department of Labor Issues “A Look at 401(k) Plan Fees”

On July 1, 1998, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration issued an educational booklet aimed at helping consumers better understand the fees and expenses associated with their 401(k) plan investment accounts. Here is ...
Read More »
The Essentials Of Estate Planning

This article is intended to help readers understand how estate planning can benefit them by providing clear explanations in an easy to read format. Although no one likes to think about disability and death, can you afford not to? What are the costs ...
Read More »
The Living Trust Advantage

, you can take steps to help assure that you and your loved ones can: 1. upon the death of both the 1st and 2nd spouse. 2. as to both the husband and wife in the event of disability. 3. Offer for your beneficiaries to help assure that the ...
Read More »
The Living Trust

Estate Planning, when done properly, allows you to plan for yourself, your loved ones, and every thing that you have worked so hard for, including your home and business, without giving up control during your life, or at your death. The possibility ...
Read More »