Penfield Wills & Probate Lawyer, New York

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Includes: Estate Administration, Living Wills, Wills

Robert D. Schultz

Wills, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Banking & Finance
Status:  In Good Standing           

Judy M. Overholt

Wills, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Contract
Status:  In Good Standing           

Jacqueline A. Constantino

Wills & Probate, Trusts, Estate Planning, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           

Kirsten W. Lamb

Wills & Probate, Estate Planning
Status:  In Good Standing           

Jennifer Lee Montante Vigneri

Wills, Estate Planning, Bankruptcy, Personal Injury
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  19 Years

Wallace F. Ashnault

Real Estate, Trusts, Wills & Probate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  67 Years

David Clayton Pettig

General Practice
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  47 Years

Todd Whitney Gustafson

Education, Income Tax, Real Estate, Wills & Probate
Status:  In Good Standing           

Todd W. Gustafson

Estate Planning, Trusts, Estate Administration, Litigation
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  26 Years

Eugene Vanvoorhis

Land Use & Zoning, Wills & Probate, Estate Planning, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           

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

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LEGAL TERMS

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.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR

Someone appointed by a probate court to oversee probate proceedings when a person dies without a will or heirs, and his or her property is expected to pass to t... (more...)
Someone appointed by a probate court to oversee probate proceedings when a person dies without a will or heirs, and his or her property is expected to pass to the state. Some states have public administrators who are responsible for temporarily preserving the assets of an estate if there are disputes about specific provisions in the will or about who will be appointed the regular administrator.

NONPROBATE

The distribution of a deceased person's property by any means other than probate. Many types of property pass free of probate, including property left to a surv... (more...)
The distribution of a deceased person's property by any means other than probate. Many types of property pass free of probate, including property left to a surviving spouse and property left outside of a will through probate-avoidance methods such as pay-on-death designations, joint tenancy ownership, living trusts and life insurance. Property that avoids probate is sometimes described as the 'nonprobate estate.' Nonprobate distribution may also occur if the deceased person leaves an invalid will. In that case, property will pass according to the particular state's laws of intestate succession.

FAMILY ALLOWANCE

A certain amount of a deceased person's money to which immediate family members are entitled at the beginning of the probate process. The allowance is meant to ... (more...)
A certain amount of a deceased person's money to which immediate family members are entitled at the beginning of the probate process. The allowance is meant to help support the surviving spouse and children during the time it takes to probate the estate. The amount is determined by state law and varies greatly from state to state.

CERTIFIED COPY

A copy of a document issued by a court or government agency guaranteed to be a true and exact copy of the original. Many agencies and institutions require certi... (more...)
A copy of a document issued by a court or government agency guaranteed to be a true and exact copy of the original. Many agencies and institutions require certified copies of legal documents before permitting certain transactions. For example, a certified copy of a death certificate is required before a bank will release the funds in a deceased person's payable-on-death account to the person who has inherited them.

FINAL BENEFICIARY

The person or institution designated to receive trust property upon the death of a life beneficiary. For example, Jim creates a trust through which his wife Jan... (more...)
The person or institution designated to receive trust property upon the death of a life beneficiary. For example, Jim creates a trust through which his wife Jane receives income for the duration of her life. Their daughter, the final beneficiary, receives the trust principal after Jane's death.

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.

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.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Matter of Colverd

... Spain, J. 972 Decedent died in 2000. Thereafter, petitioner—decedent's unmarried companion of nearly 30 years—commenced this proceeding in Surrogate's Court, as named executor, seeking probate of decedent's will. Three ...

MTR OF AMERICAN COMM. v. Dunn

... This appeal requires us to determine the standard applicable to a petition to vacate a probate decree brought by a nonparty to an initial probate proceeding and based upon "newlydiscovered evidence," which allegedly demonstrates that a probated will was procured through ...

Matter of Paigo

... Decedent died in June 2006 and petitioner sought to probate the will. ... Petitioner then moved for summary judgment 838 seeking dismissal of the objections and admitting the will to probate. Concluding that issues of fact existed, Surrogate's Court denied the motion. ...