Estate Planning Attorneys – Wills, Trusts and Probate in New Jersey

Our estate planning attorneys prepare wills, trusts, and litigate in probate proceedings in New Jersey to help individuals, couples and families effectively preserve their financial wealth and resolve any estate disputes. Our lawyers at The Law Offices of Gruber, Colabella, Liuzza, Kutyla, and Williams also offer legal assistance in the area of elder law. Read on to learn more about the estate planning services we provide.

Estate Planning

The goal of estate planning is to maximize your preserved wealth through the formation of wills and trusts, in conjunction with tax planning. Our estate planning attorneys in New Jersey can provide you with comprehensive legal assistance from the initial planning of trusts and wills, to aiding in probate procedures and representing individuals during estate litigation. The full scope of the services we offer includes:

  • Estate and tax planning, which includes the preparation of simple to complex wills and trusts, as well as charitable bequests and trusts.
  • Estate administrations, which involves representation of executors or administrators from the probating of the will up until the final distribution of the estate.
  • Estate litigation, which involves representation of either the beneficiary or the executor.

In order to formulate effective strategy for planning your estate, our estate planning attorneys will listen attentively to your needs and concerns evaluate your current financial status and help explain your options for maintaining and expanding your wealth with regard to your goals. If you require an attorney for representation in estate litigation (trusts and wills) or probate, a lawyer from our New Jersey firm can help you resolve any conflicts and/or attain any property or funds that have been rightfully left to you.

Contact our law firm with offices in Newton and Hopatcong and schedule your complimentary consultation with an estate lawyer to either discuss planning your estate, or representing you in legal matters regarding existing wills or trusts.

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Drafting of Wills and Trusts

Wills are drafted to dictate how a person would like to have their personal property distributed after they are deceased. Our estate planning attorneys in New Jersey draft self-proving wills for their clients, the most common and widely recognized type of will. To become legal, self-proving wills must be signed by witnesses and notarized, and an executor is appointed to administrate the distribution of the estate. The executor, or estate administrator, is not only in charge of distributing the estate, but resolving the deceased’s finances as well.

Unlike wills, trusts can be enacted before the individual is deceased. During the drafting of a trust, the trustor designates property and appoints a trustee to over see the management of the property. The language set forth in the trust creates guidelines for how the trustor’s property can be utilized for the benefit of those named as recipients in the trust (the beneficiaries). Generally speaking, a trust seeks to maximize the profitability of the trustor’s property, whether it be real estate, financial investments or otherwise. There are many different types of trusts, and the experienced estate planning attorneys from our New Jersey firm can help you select the type of trust that is best suited for your needs.

If you are interested in having a will or trust drafted, contact our law firm today and schedule a free initial consultation with one of our estate planning attorneys. You attorney will listen attentively to your goals and wishes and provide you with the best plan for preserving your wealth and passing it on to those who are important to you.

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Living Wills

In the event that an individual becomes so incapacitated by an accident or illness that they are unable to communicate healthcare decisions for themselves, a living will provides instructions to the family and doctor for how the injured would like to be cared for in life or death medical situations. In most cases, living wills come into effect when a person is declared brain dead, comatose, or is so gravely ill they cannot make their wishes known. A living will dictates whether or not the debilitated patient would like to be put on life support, continue life support, or terminate life support when their body is unable to sustain itself without assistance. When drafting living wills with our attorneys, clients can dictate specific guidelines as to the medical treatment they deem appropriate in a variety of situations. Let our estate planning attorneys in New Jersey help you and your family achieve peace of mind through the creation of a living will – contact our offices in Hopatcong, Newton, or Hamburg today to schedule a free initial consultation.

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Power of Attorney

Power of attorney gives another individual of your choosing the ability to make decisions regarding your finances, medical care, property, and insurance policies when you are no longer able to do so. With power of attorney, the attorney-in-fact will be responsible for making choices that reflect your best interest and the best interest of your family. In order to grant power of attorney, a lawyer must draft an agreement, which outlines the scope of the authority being granted. Your attorney can help you determine the appropriate responsibilities to bestow upon the attorney-in-fact to best suit your needs. If you need legal assistance establishing a power of attorney, contact the knowledgeable estate planning attorneys at our New Jersey firm – our lawyers also draft trusts and wills, represent clients in the probate process. Our northern New Jersey offices are conveniently located throughout Sussex County.

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Appointing Estate Administrators

To begin the probate process, an estate administrator must first be appointed if there are no existing or valid wills for the deceased. During probate in New Jersey, the estate of the deceased is distributed and the estate administrator oversees the process taking care of any logistics including payment of taxes and any outstanding debts, identifying the property that will be dispersed, filing important documents, and determining the beneficiaries of the estate. The appointed estate administrator can be a relative, spouse, close friend or hired professional, and is officially appointed through a court process. If you need assistance appointing an estate administrator the lawyers of Gruber, Colabella, Liuzza, Kutyla, Ullmann and Williams, can help – our estate planning attorneys can also provide legal support to the estate administrator throughout the probate process to ensure that all procedures are carried out in accordance with the laws of the state.

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Elder Law and Estate Planning

Special considerations must be made when planning your estate and finances into your elder years. Medical costs and assisted living facilities (nursing homes) are significant financial burdens that may drain your, and possibly your family members’, financial resources in your later years if not properly planned for. In addition to planning wills and trusts, our estate planning attorneys in New Jersey have experience helping individuals and couples strategically organize their finances and preserve their assets in consideration of Medicaid qualifying guidelines and the potential for costly nursing home bills. Our diverse team of attorneys is also qualified to handle other aspects of elder law, which includes the formation of conservatorships / guardianships for adults who can no longer care for themselves and providing representation to personal injury victims of nursing home abuse and neglect.

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Contact Our Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorneys

Contact The Law Offices of Gruber, Colabella, Liuzza, Kutyla, Ullmann and Williams today to speak with our estate planning and elder law attorneys in New Jersey about drafting wills and trusts, power of attorney, appointing estate administrators, guardians for children, living wills and more. Our tax lawyer works in conjunction with the estate planning department, helping clients preserve funds by evaluating tax liability in the planning of trusts and wills, and strategically avoiding probate costs. Our New Jersey offices are located in Newton, Hamburg and Hopatcong for your convenience.

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