Probate & Trust Administration

With our professionals on your side, you can experience peace of mind in knowing that your role as personal representative is protected, that you as an heir have a representative of your own, and that your loved one’s assets and wishes are preserved. You can even find out if probate can be avoided, or at the very least can experience a faster and less stressful probate process.

What is Probate?

Probate is a court supervised process for locating and distributing the assets of a the deceased. With or without a Will, the probate process can be complicated.  If you are the personal representative of an Estate, you are responsible for locating and liquidating assets, paying the creditors and taxes of the deceased, and making the final distribution of the remaining balance.  There are many forms and reports to be filed throughout the process.  The attorneys at Francois Williams Legal have decades of experience guiding people through this process. Losing a loved one is difficult enough.  There is no need to go through a complicated legal process alone.  Contact us today to discuss your situation.

What is Trust Administration?

Trust administration takes place after the passing of the settlor(s) of a trust. Whereas the probate process is supervised by the court, generally, trust administration involves no court involvement. However, in order to avoid potential court intervention, it is important to follow the terms of the trust, and the requirements under the law, to make sure the trust beneficiaries receive all benefits as intended by the trust.​

As a Trustee, you are responsible for the entire trust administration process. The process starts with mandatory noticing to the trust beneficiaries, and continues through all the steps necessary to transfer title and ownership interests as outlined in the trust document. The process depends on the type of the particular trust, the type of property held in the trust, and the instructions left by the deceased for how and when beneficiaries receive their trust distributions.

​As a Trustee, you have a fiduciary duty to always act in the best interests of the trust beneficiaries. This is a significant legal duty. Trust administration is a large responsibility, and requires extreme care to follow the law, the desires of the deceased, and to protect the interests of the beneficiaries.

Francois Williams Legal has the experience you need to assist in properly managing trust assets and completing the distribution of trust assets to the beneficiaries .