What to Expect at your Estate Administration Appointment

You may make an appointment to receive advice about completing your duties as Personal Representative (Executor).  When you act as a Personal Representative, the law imposes certain standards of conduct, and specific reporting requirements.  When you accept the responsibility to act, you also accept the duty to act appropriately.  We are here to help if you are unsure about what you need to do, or if you are concerned that you may not have the time or the expertise to satisfy the legal requirements. 

It is not uncommon that beneficiaries of the estate wish to attend the appointment with you.  We strongly discourage this at the first appointment.  If they do come, we will excuse them from the appointment and ask that they remain in the waiting area.  Why?  As attorneys we must be careful to identify who we represent.  We do not want any misunderstanding that we are representing any of the other beneficiaries of the estate.  We may ultimately be retained by you and we do not want our representation of you to be tainted by any other person.  Also, although shortly after a death most families come together, finances do sometimes have the effect of causing family discord.  You must be able to rely on us to provide you with evenhanded advice, and you must be able to be frank with us at the appointment about the personalities involved, and any anticipated disputes. 

Please bring the following documents with you to our appointment:

• Original Will, Original Codicil(s), Trust Agreements and any Trust Amendments, Memorandum regarding distribution of tangible personal property.  If the decedent died without a Will, just let us know that. 
• Real Estate Deeds, appraisals or real estate tax bills
• Divorce Decrees, Prenuptial Agreements, Adoption Papers
• Two original death certificates
• Life insurance policies
• Most recent income tax return
• Statements for bank accounts owned solely or jointly by the decedent showing their value as of the date of death (if you already have the statement).
• The downloadable forms attached to the Estate Administration tab titled "Estate Administration Worksheet" and "Estate Administration Checklist".

You will meet with one of our attorneys, and usually you will also meet with Trisha Giaccio and / or Paula Riendeau, our fiduciary administration legal assistants.  When we meet, we will discuss the steps necessary for proper administration. At the conclusion of our consultation appointment, if it appears that you could benefit from our continuing assistance, we will ask whether you want to retain us to assist further.  You can expect the appointment to last between one to one and a half hours.