WILLS

We strongly recommend that each one of our clients should have a will. 

 When a person dies without a will, the disposition of his or her property, or estate, will be determined by law; in other words, a state statute will provide which relatives will receive the property of the estate and in what proportions.  A Surrogate Court Judge will also decide, among other things, who will be the Administrator, or estate representative (the person who will manage the estate), and who will be the guardian(s) of any minor children who are left behind.   In the worst case scenario, where there are no surviving relatives (as defined in the law) to inherit the property, the property in the estate could wind up going to the state government by a process called “escheat”.

 When a person dies with a valid will in place, he or she gets to name who shall receive the property in the estate, in what proportions and in what manner, who shall be the estate representative, or Executor (not a court appointed administrator), and who shall be guardian(s) of any minor children left behind.  A will can also provide for special purpose trusts.

 Our office has prepared hundreds of wills, both simple and complex, for our clients, most of whom elect to have us safe keep their wills at our office, which we do at no charge, to assure that the original will shall be ready and available when needed.  

Call us for a no cost appointment to review and discuss your situation. We’ll give you honest, individualized and straightforward advice about how you can achieve your estate objectives, and answer any questions you may have.