Wills & Estates
Customized Estate Planning and Probate Services
Whether you are planning for the future of administering the estate of a loved one, the attorneys at The Machin Law Firm, LLC, provide close assistance to make sure you are on solid legal ground. We work with families to structure their assets and achieve their goals, and we help executors complete their appointed duties and uphold the wishes of the deceased.
Our attorneys handle all matters relating to Maryland wills, trusts, and estates. With offices in Rockville and Frederick, we invite you to discuss your needs in an initial phone consultation by calling (301) 731-2000.
Wills and Basic Estate Plans
Estate planning is the process of determining where your assets will go when you die. It also enables you to determine who will manage your assets during your lifetime and who will make personal decisions if you become unable to tend to your own affairs due to health or mental incapacity.
Our estate planning lawyers work with you to customize documents such as:
Anyone who is at least 18 years old and of sound mind can make and sign his or her will. In Maryland, the will must be signed by the testator in the presence of at least two witnesses. A will is subject to the probate process and court proceedings to determine the validity of the will. As such, a will is public record.
Advanced Estate Planning Through Trusts
A trust is an instrument to hold property outside of your legal estate under the control of an appointed person (trustee). You can be both the trustee and the beneficiary through an arrangement called a living trust. This is simply a trust you create while you are alive, as opposed to other trusts that are created upon death per instruction in the will.
Trusts are one of the most flexible legal tools. You can use it to run a business or hold real estate, provide for minors or a family member with disabilities, create a scholarship fund or endow a charity, or put stipulations on inheritance.
Because they are separate from one’s personal estate, trusts do not go through probate; distributions are made to beneficiaries directly without the expense and delay of probate.
A revocable trust is one that can be altered, amended, or revoked at any time by the person who created it. An irrevocable trust is one that cannot be changed or accessed by the creator. Our attorneys can help you decide which trust or trusts are best suited to your goals and needs.
Assisting With Probate and Estate Administration
If you have been appointed executor of a will or a personal representative for a person who died without a will, our attorneys at The Machin Law Firm, LLC, can guide you through the probate process and related legal duties. This includes getting approved by the court, opening the estate, gathering the assets, paying debts of the estate, liquidating property if necessary, overseeing the distributions to heirs, filing taxes for the estate, and accounting and reporting to the state of Maryland.
We can provide legal advice or intervene to handle some of the more complex matters for you.
Our attorneys can also advocate for you and the estate in the event of a will contest or other estate-related disputes.