01
What kind of plan did they leave?
A trust, a will, or nothing at all? Each starts a completely different process. The first meeting usually answers it.
Practice Area · Estate & Trust Administration
They left a plan. Now it’s time to follow it.
When a loved one passes, the trustee or personal representative has weeks of work ahead: notifications, inventories, taxes, distributions, and a fiduciary duty most people have never carried before. We do this every day. We’ll do it with you.
What the First Month Looks Like
Five questions to determine the path forward.
Most administrations that go badly went sideways in the first month, usually because nobody answered these questions clearly. We’ll walk through them with you in our first meeting.
02
Who's in charge, and do they know what they're signing up for?
Successor trustees and personal representatives can be personally liable for getting it right. Most have never done it before.
03
What needs to happen this week vs. next month?
Some deadlines are statutory and unforgiving. Others can wait. We sequence the work so nothing critical slips through the cracks.
04
Are the beneficiaries on the same page?
Family dynamics surface fast in administration. Clear communication early prevents the disputes that derail everything later.
05
What about taxes?
Final 1040, estate income tax (1041), federal estate tax (706): the wrong filing or none at all costs the estate real money.
You don’t need to know how this works.
That’s our job. Yours is to make a few decisions and grieve. Let us carry the rest.
Book a Consultation Services Within Estate & Trust Administration
Everything we do under this practice area.
Service
Trust Administration
Walking successor trustees through the full sequence (notification, inventory, taxes, distribution) without missing the steps that create personal liability.
Service
Settling a Loved One's Estate
When you’re the family member named to handle everything. We help you do it right while you’re also grieving.
Service
Successor Trustee Support
First-time trustees aren’t expected to know fiduciary law. We’re in it with you so you’re never alone.
Service
Asset Distribution
The final step. Done correctly, with proper accountings, releases, and documentation that protects everyone.
“Fleisher Patterson has been helping my wife's and our family for decades, providing exceptional service and council throughout the years - we just completed our family trust with their help, it feels great to be prepared and protected. Thanks again to Ben Patterson in particular.”Read full review on Google →
Brian MooreGoogle review
A free consultation. No obligation.
Just lost someone? Start here.
A free consultation, a clear plan, and someone in your corner throughout the whole process.