Wills, Trusts & Estates
This discipline of the firm covers four areas: drafting wills, estate planning, the representation of the fiduciaries of decedents’ estates, and the representation of trustees and other fiduciaries (such as conservators and guardians).
Wills and Estate Planning
CMM performs a comprehensive analysis of your estate needs:
- writing documents intended to take effect at death, which identify who you have selected as your fiduciary and how your assets will be allocated;
- preparing documents for use during life including Living Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, and Healthcare Proxies;
- determining the best way to title assets and name beneficiaries; and
- determining whether lifetime gifting will assist in achieving your objectives.
Often only a will is needed, but some estates require more. From small estates to large, we prepare carefully drafted documents and estate planning services.
As is our way, close collaboration with you is key. Together we find a way to minimize your anxiety and to arrive at mutually agreeable solutions. We implement strategies that maximize tax savings while minimizing your transaction and administrative costs.
Remember, an estate plan should be more than simply a will. It is important to prepare all necessary documents for the appointment of health care agents, powers of attorney, and conservators. Naturally, we assist by preparing all of these documents as part of your estate plan.
Decedents’ Trusts & Estates
During this time of grief and confusion, please know that you and your family will be treated with the respect and empathy you deserve. Our experience with decedents’ estates is extensive. We can be of great help during this emotional time.
CMM attorneys have decades of hearing experience before the probate judges in lower Fairfield County. When it comes to understanding all the required procedures, our lawyers and paralegals know how to move the process along.
Post-mortem planning is another area of particular expertise. Our attorneys are adept at helping your family save on taxes, and ease the ultimate distribution of estate assets. Because of the flexibility we incorporate into your estate documents, we are able to help, for example, when trusts funded through the death of one family member are used to achieve the long-term goals of the survivors.
Representation of Beneficiaries in Contested Situations
Sometimes unexpected, yet hardly uncommon, challenges against fiduciaries can be raised in the local probate court, or even the state court system. Either way, Mark Carta has extensive experience handling situations from complex cases to routine disagreements. Time and again, Mark proves that with the right approach, resolutions can be reached with speed and professionalism.
Email Glen Moore or call him at 203-202-3110 for more information.