Agenda

1. Estate Administration Process Overview and First Steps

   1. Key Probate Process Steps in a Nutshell
   2. Forms of Administration (Supervised, Informal, Small Estate)
   3. Drafting Probate Pleadings for Attorney Review
   4. Documents to Include
   5. Required Notices
   6. Timeline for Proper Probate Filings
   7. Steps for Proving/Challenging the Will and Dealing With Intestacy
   8. Locating Beneficiaries

2. Setting Up the File

   1. Creating and Maintaining Client Files
   2. Calendaring and Managing Deadlines
   3. Tracking Billable Time
   4. Scanning and Organizing Supporting Documents

3. Communicating With Executors, Clients, and Other Parties

   1. Duties of Executors/Administrators During the Probate Process
   2. Paralegal Contact With Executors or Administrators
   3. Trustee Communications
   4. Creditor Notices and Communication
   5. Client Communications and Follow-Up Meetings
   6. Communicating with Client Advisors and Accountants
   7. Contacting Banks, Brokerage Houses, Appraisers, and More
   8. Contacting Tax Authorities and Other Government Agencies

4. Inventory: Preparing Asset Lists and Analyzing Records

   1. Probate vs. Non-Probate Assets
   2. Analyzing Bank and Business Records
   3. Identifying Title and Character of Assets
   4. Should You Assess and Document Assets Before or After the Initial Filing?
   5. When to Arrange for the Valuation of Assets
   6. Collecting, Maintaining, and Managing Assets
   7. Requesting Insurance Policy Information and Insuring Remaining Property
   8. Treatment of Real Property (Mortgages, Foreclosures, Sales, Etc.)
   9. How Spousal Elective Share is Determined
   10. Beneficiary Designation Accounts in Estate Administration
   11. Preparing the Inventories of Assets and Spreadsheets to Show Allocation of Assets

5. Management of the Estate

   1. Assisting With Estate Cash Management
   2. Handling the Insolvent Estate
   3. Preparing Partial Distributions
   4. Maintaining Necessary Documents and Financial Records for Trusts and Estates

6. Trusts Management and Taxation in Estate Administration

7. Tax Forms, Timelines, Reporting in Estate Administration

   1. Obtaining Tax Identification Numbers
   2. Tax Basis of Assets
   3. Matching Estate Inventory and Tax Return
   4. Filing the Final Tax Returns

8. Final Account, Distributions, and Estate Closing

   1. Final Accounting and Distribution
      1. Principal vs. Income
      2. Receipts
      3. Capital Transactions
      4. Disbursements
      5. Distributions
      6. Schedule of Distribution
      7. Formal vs. Informal Accounting
   2. Property Ownership Disputes
   3. Discharge of the Fiduciary

9. Ethics in Probate

   1. Privileged vs. Non-Privileged Communications
   2. Unauthorized Practice of Law
   3. Safeguarding Against Malpractice Actions