Estate Planning and Probate

At Levy, Ehrlich & Petriello, we care about serving all of our clients' needs. Our experienced estate planning attorneys use their knowledge in business, taxation, real estate, litigation, and other areas of the law to provide quality legal services in all estate planning and probate matters.

Estate Planning

Estate planning includes preparation of wills and trusts, living wills, powers of attorney, gifting issues including contributions to charitable organizations, and other issues relating to the distribution of estates. We believe estate planning should always be a part of business planning, where wills, trusts, and all aspects of an estate plan need to address both individual and business needs. In addition to the essentials, we specialize in more sophisticated planning techniques such as:

• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts
• Charitable Trusts
• Private Foundations
• Family Limited Partnerships
• Post-Mortem Tools and Techniques
• Estate Planning for the Surviving Spouse
• Decision Making Regarding Disclaimers

Probate

Probate is the court proceeding that proves the validity of a will and through which an estate is administered. Through the probate process, estate assets (assets of the deceased) are collected and, after expenses and taxes are paid, distributed to heirs. Our lawyers, with their experience in New Jersey and New York probate courts, efficiently move an estate through the probate process. Our estate planning lawyers also discuss strategies for avoiding probate with our clients.

Estate Taxation

Tax laws, both federal and state, are of critical importance in estate planning. Our estate planning attorneys have years of experience in tax matters, including estate taxation. Federal tax laws affecting estate planning are complex, numerous, and subject to change. We take the time to keep up with changes in the federal tax laws. We also have experience and knowledge in state and local tax laws, including the tax laws of New Jersey and New York tax laws affecting estate planning.

Our experience sets us apart. For help planning your estate, please contact Alan Ehrlich at 973-643-0040 (Ext. 108) or by email at alan@lep-lawyers.com.

For more information on estate planning, please visit our Wills and Trusts Practice Page.

Our estate planning attorneys are available at our Newark, NJ, and New York, NY, law offices