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

Enforcing Your Rights in Probate and Trust Matters through Arizona’s Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act

Article provided by Schneider & Onofry. Please visit our Web site at www.soarizonalaw.com. Arizona's Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act (ARS 12-1834) provides heirs, devisees, trust beneficiaries, and other interested parties a route to redress poor ...
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Estate and Gift Tax Law Changes Provide Planning Opportunities

Congress recently passed the Tax-payer Relief Act of 1997 which includes numerous changes in the tax laws including reductions in the rate of tax on long term capital gains to a maximum rate of 20%, individual retirement account enhancements ...
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Estate Planning 101

E=mc2 Einstein deciphered the mysteries of the universe . . . Isn't it time someone deciphered Estate Planning for you?Estate Planning does not have to be complicated. Just as Einstein reduced a very complicated set of concepts to a simple equation ...
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Estate Planning & Living Wills

Estate planning is a process whereby a person's objectives for management and disposition of his property are analyzed and action is taken to accomplish those objectives. Here are some of the areas that estate planning addresses: Who should get my ...
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Estate Planning: Answers to Some Common Questions

At some point in life each of us recognizes our own mortality. If we have family, friends and property, we normally want to preserve our property for our family and friends, and to direct specific property or specific amounts of property to specific ...
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Estate Planning Concepts

Everyone has an estate plan. It is either one that you have developed to meet your particular needs and desires or the State has developed an estate plan for you. People who die without a will or trust die "intestate." State law dictates how the ...
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Estate Planning Considerations

The following is intended to provide you with an outline of those estate planning factors that you may want to address. I. Proper drafting of a Revocable Trust Agreement or a Last Will and Testament will provide an opportunity to insure that you ...
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Estate Planning Focus, Fall 1998

WHEN SHOULD MY PLANNING BE UPDATED? SHOULD YOU CONVERT YOUR REGULAR IRA TO A ROTH IRA? THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE TRANSFERRING YOUR HOME TO YOUR TRUST FUNDING LIVING TRUSTS: MORE (AND LESS) THAN AVOIDING PROBATE THE ESTATES AND PROTECTED INDIVIDUALS ...
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Estate Planning for Married Couples with Significant Assets

Married couples with significant assets valued at more than the amount that is exempt from estate tax (now $675,000.00) should consider revising their Wills to include a Bypass Trust, as explained below: SIMPLE WILL. A married couple with simple ...
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Estate Planning for Non-Resident Aliens

Preparing estate plans for non-resident aliens requires an understanding of special federal estate tax rules, state inheritance laws, special rules pertaining to the situs of the client's real and personal property, and the various tax planning ...
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