Lehigh County, PA Estate Lawyers

Sponsored Law Firm


Michael John Mueller

Administrative Law, Education, Estate Planning, Government Agencies
Status:  In Good Standing           

Daniel Glendon Dougherty

Real Estate, Traffic, Lawsuit & Dispute, Estate, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  33 Years

Douglas G Cappellini

Real Estate, Trusts, Workers' Compensation, Employment
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  30 Years

Edward James Lentz

Immigration, Estate, Adoption
Status:  In Good Standing           

Edward H. Butz

Traffic, Estate, Consumer Rights, Business
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  45 Years

Jeffrey R. Dimmich

Municipal, Wills & Probate, Insurance, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  51 Years

Jeffry L. Gilbert

Traffic, Social Security -- Disability, Social Security, Estate Administration, Wills & Probate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  51 Years

John Murray

Bankruptcy, Personal Injury, Family Law, Trusts
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  26 Years

Judith Ann Harris

Landlord-Tenant, Social Security, Estate, Employment Contracts, Malpractice
Status:  In Good Standing           

Kathryn Conklin

Estate, Trusts
Status:  In Good Standing           

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-620-0900

Member Representative

Call me for fastest results!
800-620-0900

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-620-0900

By submitting this lawyer request, I confirm I have read and agree to the Consent to Receive Messages from all messaging and voice technologies including Email, Text, Phone, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Information provided is not privileged or confidential.


Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

Member Representative

Call me for fastest results!
800-943-8690

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

By submitting this lawyer request, I confirm I have read and agree to the Consent to Receive Messages from all messaging and voice technologies including Email, Text, Phone, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Information provided is not privileged or confidential.

TIPS

Lawyer.com can help you easily and quickly find Pennsylvania Estate Lawyers and Pennsylvania Estate Law Firms. Find Estate attorneys by major city or select a city from the list of all Pennsylvania cities. Alternatively you can search for Estate attorneys for all Pennsylvania cities or search by county. You may also also find it useful to refine your search by specific Estate practice areas such as Estate Planning, Trusts, Wills & Probate and Power of Attorney matters.

LEGAL TERMS

BEQUEATH

A legal term sometimes used in wills that means 'leave' -- for example, 'I bequeath my garden tools to my brother-in-law, Buster Jenkins.'

CONSERVATOR

Someone appointed by a judge to oversee the affairs of an incapacitated person. A conservator who manages financial affairs is often called a 'conservator of th... (more...)
Someone appointed by a judge to oversee the affairs of an incapacitated person. A conservator who manages financial affairs is often called a 'conservator of the estate.' One who takes care of personal matters, such as healthcare and living arrangements, is known as a 'conservator of the person.' Sometimes, one conservator is appointed to handle all these tasks. Depending on where you live, a conservator may also be called a guardian, committee or curator.

EXEMPTION TRUST

A bypass trust funded with an amount no larger than the personal federal estate tax exemption in the year of death. If the trust grantor leaves property worth m... (more...)
A bypass trust funded with an amount no larger than the personal federal estate tax exemption in the year of death. If the trust grantor leaves property worth more than that amount, it usually goes to the surviving spouse. The trust property passes free from estate tax because of the personal exemption, and the rest is shielded from tax under the surviving spouse's marital deduction.

LAPSE

Under a will, the failure of a gift of property. A gift lapses when the beneficiary dies before the person who made the will, and no alternate has been named. S... (more...)
Under a will, the failure of a gift of property. A gift lapses when the beneficiary dies before the person who made the will, and no alternate has been named. Some states have anti-lapse statutes, which prevent gifts to relatives of the deceased person from lapsing unless the relative has no heirs of his or her own. A lapsed gift becomes part of the residuary estate.

CERTIFICATION OF TRUST

See abstract of trust.

ADMINISTRATION (OF AN ESTATE)

The court-supervised distribution of the probate estate of a deceased person. If there is a will that names an executor, that person manages the distribution. I... (more...)
The court-supervised distribution of the probate estate of a deceased person. If there is a will that names an executor, that person manages the distribution. If not, the court appoints someone, who is generally known as the administrator. In some states, the person is called the 'personal representative' in either instance.

AUGMENTED ESTATE

In general terms, an augmented estate consists of property owned by both a deceased person and his or her spouse. The concept of the augmented estate is used on... (more...)
In general terms, an augmented estate consists of property owned by both a deceased person and his or her spouse. The concept of the augmented estate is used only in some states. Its value is calculated only if a surviving spouse declines whatever he or she was left by will and instead claims a share of the deceased spouse's estate. (This is called taking against the will.) The amount of this 'statutory share' or 'elective share' depends on state law.

PROBATE COURT

A specialized court or division of a state trial court that considers only cases concerning the distribution of deceased persons' estate. Called 'surrogate cour... (more...)
A specialized court or division of a state trial court that considers only cases concerning the distribution of deceased persons' estate. Called 'surrogate court' in New York and several other states, this court normally examines the authenticity of a will -- or if a person dies intestate, figures out who receives her property under state law. It then oversees a procedure to pay the deceased person's debts and to distribute her assets to the proper inheritors. See probate.

CONTINGENT BENEFICIARY

1) An alternate beneficiary named in a will, trust or other document. 2) Any person entitled to property under a will if one or more prior conditions are satisf... (more...)
1) An alternate beneficiary named in a will, trust or other document. 2) Any person entitled to property under a will if one or more prior conditions are satisfied. For example, if Fred is entitled to take property under a will only if he's married at the time of the will maker's death, Fred is a contingent beneficiary. Similarly, if Ellen is named to receive a house only in the event her mother, who has been named to live in the house, moves out of it, Ellen is a contingent beneficiary.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Estate of Considine v. Wachovia Bank

¶ 2 Matthew Considine died on May 23, 2000. On June 2, 2005, the administrator of his estate [1] filed a civil action in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas naming Wachovia Bank [2] and Appellee Robert E. Rozinski defendants. The complaint alleged that Appellee was ...

In re Estate of Sauers

¶ 2 Pursuant to an employee group benefit plan, effective June 1, 1997, Paul J. Sauers, III, ("Decedent") obtained a $40,000.00 life insurance policy issued by the Hartford Life Insurance Company ("Insurer"). There is no dispute that the insurance policy is part of an employee ...

Estate of Hicks v. Dana Companies, LLC

¶ 1 This is a consolidated appeal from the judgment entered against Appellants, Dana Companies, LLC f/k/a Dana Corporation (Dana) and John Crane, Inc., f/k/a Crane Packing (Crane), in this products liability action initiated by Appellee, the Estate of Louis A. Hicks, ...