Wills and Trusts

Some changes in life we see coming. Others arrive without any warning. That is why being prepared for the future—especially if you have dependents—is crucial. A will or trust is an excellent way to ensure that your loved ones are provided for and your estate is distributed according to your wishes.

Your life can change direction for a variety of reasons, such as the following:

• Marriage

• Divorce • Domestic partnership

• The birth or adoption of a child

When your life changes, your will should, too.

Deirdre offers trustees, executors, personal representatives and guardians one-stop client service on the full range of questions that can arise during their fiduciary service. The scope of our trusts and estates practice runs the spectrum from basic intestate administration to sophisticated advice for institutional trustees.

While Deirdre advises many executors on estate administration matters in probate court, our emphasis on trust practice is a distinctive feature of our firm's work. We help corporate and individual trustees find the right solutions across a range of trust administration problems:

• Responsibilities of successor trustees under living trusts upon the death of the settler

• Incomplete transfer of title into living trusts

• Interpretation of trust terms

• Termination of trusts and distribution of assets

• State and federal trust income tax returns

• Form 1041 fiduciary returns

• Private settlement agreements to keep disputes with or between beneficiaries out of court

Declaratory judgment actions to clarify or define the trustee's responsibilities on disputed issues