Augusta Wills & Probate Lawyer, Georgia

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Includes: Estate Administration, Living Wills, Wills

Richard Hays Goolsby Lawyer

Richard Hays Goolsby

VERIFIED
Divorce & Family Law, Criminal, Wills & Probate, Accident & Injury

Richard Hays Goolsby, Jr. currently practices law in both Georgia and South Carolina and is a proud member of both bar associations. Richard, Jr. foun... (more)

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CONTACT

800-825-5561

Fred M. Kennedy

Wills & Probate, Family Law, Bad Faith Insurance, Medical Malpractice
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  47 Years

Frank W. Allen

Real Estate, Wills & Probate, Employment Discrimination, Family Law, Collection
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  55 Years

Stephen E. Shepard

Wills & Probate, Employment, Divorce, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  48 Years

James T. Plunkett

Construction, Real Estate, Wills & Probate, Franchising, Banking & Finance
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  37 Years

John Andrew Donsbach

Wills & Probate, Corporate, Franchising, Business Organization
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  25 Years

Vincent M Davison Jr.

Real Estate, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Bankruptcy
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  48 Years

James M Thomas

Real Estate, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  51 Years

Howard S Bush

Real Estate, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Credit & Debt
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  52 Years

James C Folk

Real Estate, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Elder Law
Status:  Retired           Licensed:  51 Years

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

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800-943-8690

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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.

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LEGAL TERMS

UNIFORM TRANSFER-ON-DEATH SECURITY ACT

A statute that allows people to name a beneficiary to inherit stocks or bonds without probate. The owner of the securities can register them with a broker using... (more...)
A statute that allows people to name a beneficiary to inherit stocks or bonds without probate. The owner of the securities can register them with a broker using a simple form that names a person to receive the property after the owner's death. Every state but Texas has adopted the statute.

TRUST MERGER

Under a trust, the situation that occurs when the sole trustee and the sole beneficiary are the same person or institution. Then, there's no longer the separati... (more...)
Under a trust, the situation that occurs when the sole trustee and the sole beneficiary are the same person or institution. Then, there's no longer the separation between the trustee's legal ownership of trust property from the beneficiary's interest. The trust 'merges' and ceases to exist.

SPRINKLING TRUST

A trust that gives the person managing it (the trustee) the discretion to disburse its funds among the beneficiaries in any way he or she sees fit.

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.

LIVING TRUST

A trust you can set up during your life. Living trusts are an excellent way to avoid the cost and hassle of probate because the property you transfer into the t... (more...)
A trust you can set up during your life. Living trusts are an excellent way to avoid the cost and hassle of probate because the property you transfer into the trust during your life passes directly to the trust beneficiaries after you die, without court involvement. The successor trustee--the person you appoint to handle the trust after your death--simply transfers ownership to the beneficiaries you named in the trust. Living trusts are also called 'inter vivos trusts.'

SURROGATE COURT

See probate court.

ESTATE TAXES

Taxes imposed by the state or federal government on property as it passes from the dead to the living. All property you own, whatever the form of ownership, and... (more...)
Taxes imposed by the state or federal government on property as it passes from the dead to the living. All property you own, whatever the form of ownership, and whether or not it goes through probate after your death, is subject to federal estate tax. Currently, however, federal estate tax is due only if your property is worth at least $2 million when you die. The estate tax is scheduled to be repealed for one year, in 2010, but Congress will probably make the repeal (or a very high exempt amount) permanent. Any property left to a surviving spouse (if he or she is a U.S. citizen) or a tax-exempt charity is exempt from federal estate taxes. Many states now also impose their own estate taxes or inheritance taxes.

GENERATION-SKIPPING TRANSFER TAX

A federal tax imposed on money placed in a generation-skipping trust. Currently, there is a $1 million exemption to the GSTT; that is, each person may leave $1 ... (more...)
A federal tax imposed on money placed in a generation-skipping trust. Currently, there is a $1 million exemption to the GSTT; that is, each person may leave $1 million in a generation-skipping trust free of this tax. The GSST is imposed when the middle-generation beneficiaries die and the property is transferred to the third-generation beneficiaries. Every dollar over $1 million is subject to the highest existing estate tax rate--currently 55%--at the time the GSTT tax is applied.

PROBATE

The court process following a person's death that includes proving the authenticity of the deceased person's will appointing someone to handle the deceased pers... (more...)
The court process following a person's death that includes proving the authenticity of the deceased person's will appointing someone to handle the deceased person's affairs identifying and inventorying the deceased person's property paying debts and taxes identifying heirs, and distributing the deceased person's property according to the will or, if there is no will, according to state law. Formal court-supervised probate is a costly, time-consuming process -- a windfall for lawyers -- which is best avoided if possible.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Morrison v. Morrison

... Gardner, III, Tucker, for Appellee. BENHAM, Justice. This is an appeal from a judgment rejecting caveats to a will and admitting the will to probate. Following the death in 2004 of W. Lee Morrison, Jr. (hereinafter, Testator), his 1998 ...

Dorsey v. Kennedy

... died on August 21, 2006, after a long battle with dementia. Dorothy B. Dorsey submitted a July 29, 1999 document purporting to be Kennedy's last will and testament for probate by the Gwinnett County Probate Court, and Kennedy's son and stepson filed caveats. ...

Sharpton v. Hall

... or guardianship. The probate court did not abuse its discretion in interpreting the statute and granting limited access to the records at issue here. We therefore affirm. Stan L. Hall, as administrator of the estate of Raymond Sharpton ...