Do you have a solid understanding of proper procedures surrounding estate administration? Do you feel confident that you can overcome the wide array of challenges you may face while working with each estate's unique requirements? Gain a comprehensive understanding of the estate planning process with this invaluable instruction so you can easily organize and manage your responsibilities. Order today!

1. Foundations of Estate Administration Defined
2. Preparing to Begin the Administration Process
3. Considerations for Collecting the Assets, Preparing the Inventory and Handling Claims Against the Estate
4. Being Thorough to Close the Estate Without a Hitch
5. Understanding Tax Procedures to Avoid Problems Later
6. Ethical Challenges in Estate Administration
7. Common Issues To Be Prepared for in Litigation and Probate

Continuing Education Credits:   

* denotes specialty credits

1. FOUNDATIONS OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION DEFINED
   8:30 - 9:15, Stacey C. Bromberg
   1. Identifying Probate and Non-Probate Assets
   2. Understanding the Various Forms of Administration
   3. Considerations for the Small Estate
   4. Knowing the Advantages and Disadvantages of Informal Administration and Complying With the Procedures
2. PREPARING TO BEGIN THE ADMINISTRATION PROCESS
   9:15 - 10:30, Thomas D. Bransfield
   1. Understanding the Laws of Intestacy and How They Affect the Estate
   2. Knowing What to Get Out of the Client Interview
   3. Determining the Survivors' Immediate Needs
   4. Examining the Safe Deposit Box: Identifying Important Documents
   5. Locating the Will and Knowing What to Do Next
   6. Considerations in Appointing and Counseling the Personal Representative
   7. Practical Tips for Obtaining Information Concerning Assets
   8. Renunciations and Election of Statutory Share
   9. Using Disclaimers Correctly
   10. Notice Requirements
3. CONSIDERATIONS FOR COLLECTING THE ASSETS, PREPARING THE INVENTORY AND HANDLING CLAIMS AGAINST THE ESTATE
   10:45 - 11:45, Thomas D. Bransfield
   1. Practical Procedures for Opening Estate Accounts
   2. Obtaining Tax Identification Number and Title to Assets
   3. Canceling Utilities and Credit Cards
   4. Best Strategies for Preparing the Inventory
   5. Medicare, Insurance Claims and Public Assistance: Understanding the Paperwork Involved
   6. Priority of Concern: Following the Chain of Command in Allowances, Claims and Taxes
4. BEING THOROUGH TO CLOSE THE ESTATE WITHOUT A HITCH
   12:45 - 1:45, Michelle Huhnke
   1. Alternative Methods: Knowing Your Options
   2. Timing of Distributions: How Long Do Beneficiaries Have to Wait Until They Get Their Money?
   3. Steps Involved in Transferring Jointly-Held Assets
   4. Transferring Other Probate and Non-Probate Assets
   5. Considerations for Handling Distributions to Minors and Trusts
   6. Ensuring Thorough Accounting and Settlement of the Estate
   7. Compensation and Discharge of the Personal Representative
5. UNDERSTANDING TAX PROCEDURES TO AVOID PROBLEMS LATER
   1:45 - 2:45, Michelle Huhnke
   1. Overview of Tax Compliance and Post-Mortem Planning: What You Need to Know
   2. What You Need to Know to Prepare the Decedent's Final Income Tax Return
   3. Filing Requirements for Federal and State Estate Tax Returns
   4. How the Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Affects Your Clients
   5. Handling Distribution to Minors and Trusts
   6. Accurate and Inclusive Valuation of Assets
   7. Determining Alternatives for the Surviving Spouse: Disclaimers, Rights and Options
6. ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
   3:00 - 4:00, Cameron DeGuerre
   1. Determining Who the Client Is
   2. Representing An Estate: Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
   3. Informing the Client of the Status of the Estate
   4. Filing Claims: Why it is Imperative to Meet the Deadlines
7. COMMON ISSUES TO BE PREPARED FOR IN LITIGATION AND PROBATE
   4:00 - 4:40, Cameron DeGuerre
   1. Title and Discovery of Assets
   2. Contested Claims and Contingent Liabilities
   3. Marital Agreement Concerns
   4. Contested Wills and Alternatives: Is it Valid to Disagree?

THOMAS D. BRANSFIELD is a partner in the Chicago law firm of Bransfield & Bransfield, PC. Mr. Bransfield has concentrated his practice in the areas of probate, estate planning, estate administration and estate litigation since 1992. He is a member of the Illinois State and Chicago bar associations, and regularly participates with Probate, Trust and Federal Tax committees of the Chicago Bar. Mr. Bransfield is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio. He is a frequent guest speaker for professional groups on estate planning, charitable giving, guardianships, probate law, wills and trusts. Mr. Bransfield earned his LL.M. degree from DePaul University, his J.D. degree from Loyola University of Chicago and his B.A. degree from Boston College.

STACEY C. BROMBERG is a principal in the law firm of Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. Ms. Bromberg's practice concentrates on probate, guardianship and estate planning issues. She has spent her career assisting families and financial institutions in the administration of estates for decedents, adult disabled individuals and minors. She has also been involved in numerous contested guardianship matters. She assists executors and administrators in all facets of estate administration and, if necessary, litigation, from opening estates and transferring assets to litigating claims, citations, and will and trust contests. Ms. Bromberg has been appointed by judges in Lake County as a Guardian Ad Litem to assist in matters relating to the adjudication of adult disabled individuals. She is a member of the Chicago and American bar associations. Ms. Bromberg earned her B.A. degree from the University of Illinois and her J.D. degree, with honors, from the Chicago-Kent College Law.

CAMERON DeGUERRE is an attorney in the Chicago law firm of Peck Bloom, LLC. Ms. DeGuerre practices in the areas of trust litigation, probate litigation, fiduciary defense litigation, real estate litigation, elder law, and estate planning and administration, with an emphasis on contested trusts and estates. In addition to representing individuals and families, she represents financial and medical institutions. Ms. DeGuerre has been appointed special assistant attorney general for numerous pieces of litigation brought against the state of Illinois or its representatives. She is an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. Ms. DeGuerre was appointed to the Young Lawyer's Division Council and the Standing Committee on Mental Health Law for the Illinois State Bar Association and serves on the Probate Practice Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. She earned her B.A. degree from Miami University and her J.D. degree from the DePaul University College of Law.

MICHELLE HUHNKE is a partner with the law firm Sugar & Felsenthal LLP, where she focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, and charitable planning. She works with clients and their families to develop estate plans that address varied family circumstances and include efficient estate, gift, and generation-skipping tax planning. Ms. Huhnke also represents charities and their donors. She advises clients on the use of charitable trusts; private foundations; and donor advised funds to foster family philanthropy and maximize the income, estate, and gift tax benefits of charitable giving. Ms. Huhnke advises charitable foundations and public charities on governance and transactions. Other areas of her practice include asset protection planning and business succession planning. Ms. Huhnke teaches trusts and estates law at the University of Chicago Law School. She also is a lecturer for the Investment Management Consultants Association for their program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and has lectured for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Ms. Huhnke earned her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Barnard College and her J.D. degree, with honors, from the National Law Center at George Washington University. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar.

Please refer to Continuing Education Credit FAQ for general information about seeking credit for your participation in one of our continuing education programs.

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