Trusts & Estates
At Hirst Applegate, we recognize that for most clients estate planning is an intensely personal experience. For that reason, we have developed a client-centered approach to estate planning. We endeavor to assure that each of our clients develops a high comfort level to make sure that all important issues relevant to creating the right estate plan for the client are discussed and considered. We stay on top of cutting-edge techniques to assist our clients in preserving their assets and ensuring that their assets are distributed according to their wishes while reducing taxes and administration charges to the greatest extent possible.
We assist our clients in creating both will-centered and trust-centered estate plans to avoid probate, plan for disability, maintain maximum privacy, and reduce taxes and administration charges. Given our emphasis on trust-centered estate planning, most of our practice in this area focuses on post-mortem trust administration, whether in representing the successor trustee or a trust beneficiary. We also represent and advise executors, administrators, and personal representatives in opening probates and assisting them in navigating the probate process in situations where the deceased’s assets are subject to probate or other estate administration processes.
We are committed to providing quality, caring, and timely service to our clients and are committed to remaining current on emerging estate planning concepts and techniques to better serve our clients.
Attorneys Practicing in This Area
Related Legal Updates
TRUST FUNDING 101
You met with your estate planning attorney, decided that a revocable living trust (“RLT”) is right for you, and signed your trust. Now what? To fully realize all the benefits that a RLT offers—for example, taking care of you in the event of disability, avoiding...
WYOMING’S TRANSFER ON DEATH DEED
For many people, the highest value asset of their estate is their home. While whether a will or trust centered plan is right for someone varies greatly depending on each person’s goals, assets, and individual situation, Wyoming’s transfer on death deed can be a useful...
WYOMING’S “POLST” PROGRAM AND YOUR ESTATE PLAN
“POLST” stands for “Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment Program.” (Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 35-22-501 et seq.). POLST is not an acronym commonly known among households, attorneys, or medical providers, even though it became effective three years ago and may act as...
DID YOU KNOW? – A BASIC OVERVIEW OF CHARITABLE LEAD TRUSTS
As you recall, charitable trusts allow a donor to set aside assets for one or more charities. Two different types of charitable “split interest” or “mixed” trusts exist: (1) charitable remainder trusts (“CRTs”); and (2) charitable lead trusts (“CLTs”). We reviewed the...
DID YOU KNOW? – A BASIC OVERVIEW OF CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUSTS
A charitable trust allows a donor to set aside assets for one or more charities. Two different types of charitable “split interest” or “mixed” trusts exist: (1) charitable remainder trusts (“CRTs”); and (2) charitable lead trusts (“CLTs”). The discussion that follows...