Estate & Trust Administration

The role of a personal representative (executor) or trustee can be complex and is often time-consuming with many filing deadlines and/or legal requirements that must be met in a timely fashion. We recognize that our fiduciary clients have just lost a friend or family member and have their own family, work, and other personal obligations. Our goal is to help them understand the process and to alleviate the stresses of serving as a personal representative or trustee, guiding them through the entire process and assisting them as needed.

Overview

Our role in the estate and trust administrative process is to ensure the efficient implementation of the decedent’s wishes, to help reduce potential conflict, and to protect the fiduciary. A decedent’s assets may pass to beneficiaries through various mechanisms, each with a unique process:

Probate is required for assets titled solely in a decedent’s name with no joint owner or named beneficiary. If the decedent had a Last Will and Testament, the Will governs the distribution of those If the decedent died without a Will, assets are distributed pursuant to the Maryland laws of intestacy. This process is overseen by the Register of Wills or Orphans’ Court.

A decedent may have a revocable trust. At their passing, the trust becomes irrevocable and any assets funded to the revocable trust during the decedent’s lifetime are distributed pursuant to the terms of the trust.

Assets owned jointly with someone else with rights of survivorship transfer to the surviving joint owner at the decedent’s passing. The terms of any will or trust do not govern the disposition of these assets.

A decedent may have assets with named beneficiaries, such as a life insurance policy of retirement account. At their passing these assets transfer to the designated beneficiaries. The terms of any will or trust do not govern the disposition of these assets.

For probate matters, we assist the personal representative in all phases of estate administration except the preparation and filing of necessary tax returns. Our services include obtaining the bond, opening the probate estate with the Register of Wills, publishing notice to creditors, collecting asset information and valuation of assets, preparation of all filings to be made with the Register of Wills, including the inventory and accountings, dealings with creditors and heirs/legatees, and distribution of probate assets to the heirs and/or legatees.

For the administration of formerly revocable trusts, we assist the trustee in all phases of the trust administration, except the preparation and filing of necessary tax returns. Our services include sending out required notices to beneficiaries and creditors, collecting asset information and valuation of assets, preparation of annual trust accountings, dealing with creditors and beneficiaries, and distribution of trust assets to the beneficiaries.

We work closely with other professionals involved to ensure the smooth and efficient administration of the estate and trust.

Meet the Estate & Trust Administration Team