Probate Walkthrough and Key Executor Duties

Agenda / Content Covered

1. First Meeting With the Family, Letters of Authority, Gathering and Authenticating Documents
   10:00 - 10:30, Sandra J. Alexander
2. Choosing the Right Form of Administration (Is Small Estate Procedure an Option?)
   10:30 - 11:00, James S. Adray
3. Initial Notices and Petition, Tax Extension Requests
   11:00 - 11:30, Eric Ladley
4. Locating and Marshaling Assets, Estate Inventory
   11:45 - 12:15, Sandra J. Alexander
5. Creditor Claims Tasks and Timeline
   12:15 - 12:45, Sandra J. Alexander
6. Tax Deadlines and Returns
   1:15 - 2:00, Eric Ladley
   1. Navigating Federal Tax Forms and Deadlines
   2. Are There Outstanding Tax Debts?
   3. Decedent's Last Income Tax Return
   4. Fiduciary Tax Returns and Supporting Documentation
   5. Post-Mortem Tax Planning Options
7. Estate Management: Sale of Assets, Payment of Expenses, Year-End Tasks
   2:00 - 2:35, Sandra J. Alexander
8. Final Account Checklist: What Must Be Included
   2:35 - 3:10, Thomas J. Murphy
9. Final Disbursements, Estate Closing, Executor and Attorney Compensation, Post-Closing Communications and Requests
   3:25 - 4:00, Thomas J. Murphy
10. Legal Ethics in Probate
    4:00 - 5:00, James S. Adray
    1. Whom do You Represent? Conflicts of Interest
    2. Guarding Confidentiality
    3. Attorney Fees
    4. Effective Client Communication
    5. Practicing Law in More Than One State

Accreditation Details:

James S. Adray is a partner in the Toledo law firm of Adray & Grna, where he practices in the areas of business law, probate, estate planning, divorce, and medical malpractice. Mr. Adray is a mediator/arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and is a mediator trainer throughout Ohio. He has taught at the University of Toledo Law School and College of Education. Mr. Adray is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (Alternate Dispute Resolution, and Probate and Trust Law committees), and the Ohio State (Family Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution committees) and Toledo bar associations. He earned both his B.A. degree and his J.D. degree from the University of Toledo.

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 also deals with estate and probate tax issues. 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.

Eric Ladley , CELA, is an attorney with Montco Elder Law, LLP, where he focuses his practice in the areas of estate planning, long-term care planning, estate administration, and guardianships. He is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Mr. Ladley also is accredited by the Veterans Administration to represent veterans, and can prepare, present, and prosecute claims before the department. He is a member of Montgomery County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys, and Lycoming Law Association. Mr. Ladley earned his B.A. degree from George Washington University and his J.D. degree from Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

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. He has successfully litigated cases in the U.S. Tax Court, the Arizona Tax Court, and the Arizona Board of Tax Appeals. Mr. Murphy 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 earned his J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School.