Probate Process From Start to Finish: Part I

Agenda / Content Covered

1. First Steps
   11:00 — 11:30, Kyle Robbins
   1. The First 48 Hours
   2. Locating the Will and Beneficiaries
   3. Choosing the Best Form of Administration
   4. The Estate Timeline - What Must be Done
   5. Probate Court Filing Procedures and Forms
   6. Initial Notices to Creditors, Beneficiaries and State Agencies
   7. Laws of Intestacy
2. Educating the Personal Representative
   11:30 — 12:00, Cherish De La Cruz
   1. Duties, Powers, and Responsibilities Step-by-Step
   2. Personal Representative Guide/Instructions
   3. Compensation Guidelines
3. Valuing Decedent's Assets
   12:00 — 12:30, Sandra Alexander
4. Handling Creditor Claims Step-by-Step
   12:45 — 1:15, Kyle Robbins
   1. Validating Claims
   2. Priority of Creditor Rights
   3. Selling Property to Satisfy Claims
   4. Tax Claims and Liens
5. How to Determine Elective Share, Portability and Homestead Allowance
   1:15 — 1:45, Thomas Murphy
   1. Portability Rules, Claiming Unused Exemption
   2. Homestead Allowance
   3. How to Determine the Elective Share Estate
   4. Elective Share Rights and Procedure
6. Planning Post-Mortem, Trust Administration, and Tax Issues
   1:45 — 2:15, Thomas Murphy
   1. Trust Administration
   2. Post-Mortem Tax Planning
   3. Problems with Elections and Non-Probate Assets (IRA Distributions and Their Tax Consequences)
   4. The Shares of Minors in an Estate
   5. How to Calculate the Omitted Spouse Share or Omitted Child Share
   6. Shares of Disabled Adults and Means-Tested Government Benefits
   7. Finding Real Estate, Bank Accounts, Life Insurance, Intangibles, Etc.

Accreditation Details:

Sandra J Alexander is a sole practitioner in Tulsa, where her practice is concentrated in the areas of real estate, small and medium businesses, wills, estates, trusts, probate, and legal services for the elderly. She was an instructor in business law and legal implications of the insurance industry for Tulsa Community College and an adjunct professor of law teaching real estate transactions at the University of Tulsa College of Law. Ms. Alexander is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association. She earned her B.A. degree from Swarthmore College, her J.D. degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law, and completed a graduate study in regional and city planning at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

 

Cherish De La Cruz helps families and small businesses create life and estate plans that save money, create peace of mind, and prevent unnecessary stress during life's unexpected events. Ms. De La Cruz was initially inspired to pursue estate planning in 2013 after losing her aunt to appendix cancer. While taking care of her aunt's affairs, she realized first-hand the stress and hardship that is created when a loved one passes away and they do not have a comprehensive and customized plan. It is even more complicated when they are a small business owner. Today, this personal perspective and her extensive background in investments and life insurance guides her firm's estate planning process. Leadership in the community is also a key value of De la Cruz Law, LLC. That is why Ms. De La Cruz is actively involved in several non-profit organizations; recently graduating from the Catholic Charities Atlanta Leadership class, serving as past president of the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, founding board member of the Exit Planning Exchange Atlanta (2019-2020), Leadership Gwinnett Class of  2019, chair of Elder Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association (2019-2020), and Mosaic Georgia. She dedicates her time to serving and educating small businesses, families, and the larger community about the estate and business planning process so that her wonderful clients can truly take charge of their life and legacy, knowing that they have done everything in their power to protect their loved ones.

Thomas J Murphy is an attorney located in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix. His practice emphasizes estate planning, elder law (including nursing home issues), all probate matters (including contested matters and guardianships), and tax controversies. Mr. Murphy has regularly appeared before the Arizona Court of Appeals, litigating many of the cutting-edge appellate cases in probate law and has successfully litigated cases in the U.S. Tax Court, the Arizona Tax Court, and the Arizona Board of Tax Appeals. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the State Bar of Arizona (Tax Law, Probate and Trust Law, Mental Health and Elder Law sections), and the Arizona Medicaid Planning Council. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Phoenix Tax Workshop and the Editorial Board of NAELA News. Mr. Murphy graduated from Tufts University, with honors, and he earned his J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School.

Kyle Robbins is the founder and sole owner of The Law Offices of Kyle Robbins, PLLC. Mr. Robbins practices in the areas of trusts, power of attorney, wills and living wills, probate, and estate planning. He received his B.S. degree from Oklahoma State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Robbins is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Estate Planning Council of Central Texas, Austin Young Lawyers Association, and the Travis County Bar Association.