Stradley Ronon’s trusts & estates attorneys have been advising clients with respect to sophisticated trusts and estates administration for decades. Taking a collaborative approach, we work closely with each client and with attorneys from our tax, real estate, corporate and litigation practices to provide comprehensive, customized guidance on the many issues regarding trusts and estates. From collecting and valuing assets, to ensuring proper documentation, record keeping and accounting to the beneficiaries, our experienced attorneys help our clients optimize the value of their trusts and estates.
Providing Comprehensive Counsel
We regularly counsel executors, trustees and beneficiaries on a wide range of trusts and estates administration matters, with a focus on accomplishing the decedent’s or settlor’s wealth-transfer objectives and ensuring that trusts and wills are administered in the most tax-efficient manner. Our lawyers advise at all stages of administration, from establishing a trust or opening an estate through filing death tax returns and making distributions to beneficiaries.
Offering a Full Range of Services
Our services include:
- Probating wills and establishing trusts.
- Advising on various reporting requirements and assisting executors, trustees, and other fiduciaries in preparing and filing such reports.
- Working closely with financial advisers, accountants and other professionals to achieve our clients’ objectives.
- Assisting fiduciaries with formal and informal accountings.
- Resolving claims, including creditor claims.
- Collecting, valuing, and distributing estate and trust assets to the appropriate beneficiaries.
- Assisting fiduciaries in obtaining appraisals of hard-to-value assets.
- Preparing and filing federal and state estate and inheritance tax returns, personal income tax returns and fiduciary income tax returns.
- Advising on and assisting with tax elections and disclaimers.
- Representing clients in court and before taxing authorities in will contests, audits and various other proceedings.
- Providing guidance to fiduciaries and beneficiaries of charitable trusts and private foundations.
- Assisting with informal terminations of trusts and estates through family agreements and formal terminations through court proceedings.
- Offering general guidance to fiduciaries regarding their responsibilities.