Trust & Estate Administration 

An estate plan is only effective if it is properly administered. The estate and trust administration attorneys at Smith Debnam assist individual and corporate fiduciaries of estates and trusts in matters of probate, estate, and trust administration. If your loved one has a will, the family will go through probate. If your loved one has a trust, the family will go through a process called trust administration. Our attorneys guide executors, administrators, guardians, agents acting under powers of attorney, trustees, and beneficiaries throughout the entire estate administration and settlement process by:

• Initiating probate court proceedings with the clerk of court
• Advising regarding estate accountings and valuing estate assets
• Working with CPAs and other tax professionals regarding tax treatment
• Ensuring payment of claims, expenses, and taxes
• Proper disposition and distribution of estate assets

If you are a fiduciary under a trust or will, or your family has experienced the death of a family member, our experienced attorneys can assist with the legal processes and procedures to preserve the wishes of the deceased and spare loved ones additional stress during an already difficult period.

Representative Cases: 

• Litigated and obtained admission of copies of wills
• Represented administrator before the internal revenue services of an insolvent estate

Contact Smith Debnam Today

From our office in Raleigh, we serve clients throughout central North Carolina. To schedule a consultation with a Raleigh Trusts and Estates attorney at our firm, please call 919-250-2000.