Estates – Trusts Practice

Estate Planning is for clients of all ages with a variety of needs. By being proactive and planning your estate, you secure your family’s future, minimize taxes and make sure your wishes are followed. There are three estate planning documents every person should have:

• Durable Medical Power of Attorney
• Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• Last Will and Testament.

These documents have a very real impact on our clients’ lives. In our estate planning practice, our attorneys help clients plan for incapacity, nominate guardians for minor children, avoid probate delays and ensure that property is properly distributed at death.

We also assist with trust funding and beneficiary designations on retirement plans and life insurance policies to ensure wishes of philanthropic support of a client’s chosen charity or nonprofit organization are executed. Following the death of a loved one, we help administer trusts and estates, assist with the probate process and resolve disputes. We have a depth of experience in preparing Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Returns.

At Owen Law Group, LLC, we provide estate – trust counsel to high net-worth individuals, families, family offices, banks, trust companies, wealth management advisors and nonprofit entities of all sizes. The types of clients we serve vary and include: entrepreneurs, corporate executives, philanthropists, real estate investors and developers, accountants, medical professionals, artists, collectors, authors, composers, and musicians, among others.

We represent clients privately and before taxing and regulatory authorities, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), state tax authorities and consumer protection agencies. Our attorneys also establish and maintain charitable entities such as private foundations, charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts, to help with a client’s charitable planning.

The following is a representative sample of projects in which our firm has been involved with estates – trusts:

• Preparation of wills, healthcare and financial powers of attorney
• Preparation of various types of trusts including revocable living trusts (“will substitutes”), irrevocable trusts, family trusts, life insurance trusts, charitable trusts, education trusts and pet trusts
• Negotiation, advice and preparation of shareholder and other buy-sell agreements
• Assist executors and beneficiaries with the probate process, including probate petitions, required legal notices, inventories, tax returns, audits, accountings and final distributions
• Assist trustees with all aspects of trust administration
• Petition local courts for changes to trusts
• Assist powers of attorney and executors with legal advice
• Assist with sales of real estate from estates – trusts
• Preparation of inheritance and estate tax returns