What to Expect at your Trust Administration Appointment

You may make an appointment to receive advice about completing your duties as Trustee, or as Successor Trustee. When you act as a Trustee, the law and the trust agreement impose certain standards of conduct, and may impose specific reporting requirements. When you accept the responsibility to act, you also accept the duty to act appropriately. If you are unsure about what you need to do, if you are concerned that you may not have the time, or the expertise to satisfy the legal requirements, we are here to help.

It is not uncommon that beneficiaries of the trust 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 trust. 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 a parent's disability or death will cause many 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:

1. If you have possession of them, the Original Will, Original Codicil(s), Trust Agreements and any Trust Amendments, Memorandum regarding distribution of tangible personal property. If you do not have the originals, bring copies.

2. Real Estate Deeds, appraisals or real estate tax bills

3. Divorce Decrees, Prenuptial Agreements, Adoption Papers

4. Two original death certificates if you have become the Trustee as a result of a death. If you are acceding to the duties as Trustee as a result of the disability of the predecessor Trustee, bring whatever information you have on the predecessor Trustee's disability.

5. Life insurance policies

6. Most recent income tax return

7. Statements for bank accounts owned by the Trust; if you are acting on the death of the Grantor, the statements showing the value as of the date of death are particularly helpful (if you already have the statement).

8. Statements for bank accounts owned by the Grantor(s) in his or her or their name; if you are acting on the death of the Grantor, the statements showing the value as of the date of death are particularly helpful (if you already have the statement).

9. The downloadable forms attached to the Trust Administration tab titled "Trust Administration Worksheet" and "Trust Administration Checklist".

You will meet with one of our attorneys, and usually you will also meet with Lindsay Lafferty, our fiduciary administration legal assistant. When we meet, we will discuss the steps necessary for proper administration. At the conclusion of our consultation appointment, 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.

Trust Administration Worksheet	Trust Administration Checklist