Trusts & Estate Administration

Trusts and estate administration is essential to protecting your wealth and ensuring that your assets are transferred smoothly and according to your wishes. At Donnelly Minter & Kelly, our experienced attorneys provide both estate planning and administration services, helping clients develop comprehensive strategies and guiding fiduciaries through the legal and financial responsibilities involved. With careful planning and skilled administration, we safeguard your legacy and provide peace of mind for you and your family.

Comprehensive Estate Planning & Administration

The Trusts and Estate attorneys at Donnelly Minter & Kelly are experienced and skilled in preparing and implementing trusts and developing thorough plans for the most complicated family situations and assets structures. Additionally, they are experienced and knowledgeable in the laws governing the administration of these structures. Being involved in both the planning and administration of your estate allows us to provide consistency in the management of your affairs.

Assisting Fiduciaries

The larger your estate, the more complex your estate plan might be. Leaving that plan in the hands of an inexperienced fiduciary can have significant consequences. Failure on the past of a fiduciary to comply with the provisions of your estate planning documents and the laws governing fiduciaries can result in costly repercussions and may nullify your efforts to ensure your assets are distributed as you directed in an efficient manner.

Our attorneys frequently work with and guide fiduciaries such as executors and trustees to ensure that these individuals are following the directions and provisions set forth in your estate planning documents, and that they do so in the best interests of the beneficiaries of your estate and trusts.

This guidance includes educating the fiduciaries about their essential duties and loyalty to the beneficiaries, the necessity of addressing certain tax issues, keeping excellent records, and providing communications as necessary to beneficiaries. In this manner, your assets can be distributed in the manner you direct.

At Donnelly Minter & Kelly, we prioritize the development of long-lasting relationships with our clients, taking time to understand their individual goals and objectives. This knowledge, coupled with our financial and legal expertise in areas relating to federal and state estate and inheritance tax laws, allows us to assist your appointed fiduciaries with compliance with the terms of the estate plan and the attendant laws governing such fiduciary actions.

Representing Your Interests in the Face of Obstacles

Even the most comprehensive plans can run into obstacles – executors can favor one beneficiary over another; wills can be contested; guardianships can be questioned; succession of business leadership can be challenged.

Our attorneys will provide the legal representation necessary to ensure that your estate plan is administered according to your intentions. We stand ready to assist with dispute resolutions, including mediating and resolving conflicts that may arise among fiduciaries, beneficiaries, or other parties, and to litigate even the most complex issues in court, if necessary.