Knowledgeable Attorneys help manage and Trustees and Personal Representatives a/k/a executors through their duties and responsibilities
Our lawyers advise and represent testators and executors and Trustees
Kuhlman, Reddoch & Sullivan, P.C. provides a full range of services for Trusts and wills: drafting, review, amendment, revocation, execution and probate if needed. We provide reliable guidance for trustees testators and executors. Our experience in the estate management and probate court, resolving issues related to the validity of trusts, wills, enable us to provide practical advice for trustees and testators from all walks of life. Similarly, our work in the formation of trusts and wills gives us keen insight into how trustees and executors should interpret various aspects of a trusts and will that may initially seem unclear. Whether you are a Grantor or testator formulating an estate plan or a trustee or executor implementing a decedent’s wishes, Kuhlman, Reddoch & Sullivan, P.C. can simplify many complex aspects of the tasks before you. We offer pertinent and personal legal advice to obtain the results you need in a timely manner with the least stress possible.
Executing a valid and effective will
Executing a valid will is rather simple; executing an effective will takes a bit more work. The probate approves a will if it finds the document was executed intentionally and freely by a person of sound mind, is written in clear, unambiguous language and is signed and witnessed. That’s really the easy part. To be effective, your will must be comprehensive, covering the full range of your worldly possessions and your deepest concerns, and contemplating various contingencies. We work closely with you to memorialize your intentions completely and instructing that they be carried out in the most efficient manner possible.
Once executed, your will remains your final statement of your intentions until you amend or revoke it. Wills are formal documents and can only be changed by going through formal procedures. Therefore, it is improper to try to add anything to your Will or to delete anything from your Will and any attempt to do that by interlineation or crossing out any portion may void the document.
We recommend reviewing your will if your assets should substantially change, you move to a different state, the needs of family members dependent on you change or generally every three to five years if it needs updating it to reflect your then current wishes. We also advise a review if the federal Estate and Gift tax (sometimes referred to as the “death tax”) shold change.
Our attorneys guide executors through every step of the process
Most executors have never probated a will; many are surprised to learn the decedent’s will named them as the responsible party. We provide indispensable service for executors who have no prior experience in the probate court on matters that include:
- Filing the will with the Missouri probate court
- Developing the best strategy for fairly and expeditiously settling the estate
- Finding and assembling assets
- Pay creditors and claimants
- Collecting amounts owed the estate
- Closing and opening bank accounts
- Transferring assets from the deceased to the estate
- Paying current and delinquent taxes as well as estate taxes
- Valuing, managing, preserving and liquidating the estate
- Locating beneficiaries
- Hiring experts, when appropriate
Executors can easily make mistakes due to inexperience, stress and hasty decisions. This can be costly, as executors can be held personally liable for beneficiaries’ losses. We guide executors through every step of the probate process, with reliable, detailed advice, so you can settle the testator’s estate as efficiently, quickly and easily as possible.
Capable management of probate disputes
Even in apparently straightforward estate cases, there are sometimes disputes between disappointed beneficiaries and the will’s executor. When representing executors, our attorneys demonstrate the utmost professionalism in negotiations and in the courtroom. Whether the issue is a will challenge or an accusation of mismanagement of estate assets, we advocate vigorously for the testator’s estate and the executor.
Contact our experienced and knowledgeable probate lawyers
Kuhlman, Reddoch & Sullivan, P.C. provides will and probate court services in Liberty and throughout Missouri. Call us at 816-781-3700 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.
