Agenda / Content Covered

10:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

1. Probate Process and Executor Duties: The Master Checklist with Deadlines
   10:00 - 10:30, Sarah J. Barnes
   
2. Wills: Key Provisions, Validity, Interpreting Unique Instructions
   10:30 - 11:00, Louis A. Silverman
   
3. Initial Petition and Letters of Authority: Content and Procedure
   11:00 - 11:30, Sarah J. Barnes
   
4. Estate Inventory: Valuing and Recording Assets
   11:45 - 12:15, Louis A. Silverman
   
5. Creditor Notices and Responses
   12:15 - 12:45, Sarah J. Barnes
   
6. Trusts: Key Provisions, Trustee Duties, and the Trust's Impact on Probate
   12:45 - 1:15, Sarah J. Barnes
   
7. Final Accounting: What Must and Should Be Included
   1:45 - 2:15, George S. Peek
   
8. TAX Returns and Schedules for the Estate and the Decedent: Forms, Deadlines, Extensions (With Sample Returns)
   2:15 - 3:15, George S. Peek
   
9. Estate Closing and Distributions: Notices of Proposed Action, Petition to Discharge the Fiduciary, and Other Key Documents
   3:30 - 4:00, George S. Peek
   
10. Ethical Practice Considerations and Concerns in Probate
    4:00 - 5:00, Louis A. Silverman
    
    1. Defining Who You Represent
    2. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
    3. Client Communications
    4. Client Confidentiality
    5. Attorney's Fees
    6. Practicing Law in More Than One State

Accreditation Details:

SARAH J. BARNES is an attorney and trust officer with the Bank of Sun Prairie in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where she handles all types of trust and estate administration matters. Ms. Barnes also deals with tax related matters. She previously was in private practice where she practiced in the areas of estate planning, probate, elder law, and frequently served as a court appointed guardian ad litem in guardianship matters. Ms. Barnes earned her B.A. degree from Edgewood College and her J.D. degree from Marquette University Law School. Her professional memberships include the State Bar of Wisconsin, Dane and Sauk County bar associations, Legal Association of Women, and the Madison Estate Planning Council. Ms. Barnes is admitted to practice in Wisconsin.

GEORGE S. PEEK is a shareholder with Crivello Carlson, S.C. He concentrates his practice in the areas of secured lending and transactions, creditor/debtor litigation, business and commercial litigation, and products liability litigation. In the course of his practice, Mr. Peek also provides transactional services in the areas of business entity creation and dissolution, real estate, trusts, and estates. He is a member of the American and Milwaukee bar associations. Mr. Peek's bar admissions include the state of Wisconsin, the state of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and his J.D. degree from Marquette University Law School.

LOUIS A. SILVERMAN has been practicing law in Arizona since 1981. From 1981 through 2005, Mr. Silverman’s practice included many aspects of litigation, including family law, civil litigation, and personal injury, and wrongful death. In addition, he included estate planning and estate administration. Mr. Silverman has narrowed his practice focus, to estate planning, estate administration, probate law, and related tax matters. He accomplished this transition through affiliations with professional estate planning associations, ongoing continuing education, and accepting only estate planning and estate administration matters. In 2015, Mr. Silverman became board-certified in estate and trust law by the State Bar of Arizona. His practice emphasizes estate planning, which includes wills and trusts and other estate planning devices, and trust administration and probate, which includes death probate, guardianship, and conservatorship. Mr. Silverman has served as judge pro tem on the Maricopa County Superior Court. He is a member of WealthCounsel and is a past member of the Elder Law, Mental Health and Special Needs Planning Section of the State Bar of Arizona. Mr. Silverman is on the Board of Trustees of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and past president of the Board of Directors of Tempe Leadership. He is a frequent speaker on National Business Institute’s educational panels and also lectures to local groups on estate planning issues. Mr. Silverman earned his B.S. degree in business from Arizona State University and his J.D. degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston. He is admitted to practice in the state courts of Arizona and Texas, the U.S. District Court for Arizona, and the Western District of Texas.