Bridgeport Estate Planning Lawyer, Connecticut

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Includes: Gift Taxation

Gerald C. Shea Lawyer

Gerald C. Shea

VERIFIED
Estate, Estate Planning, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Living Wills

Gerald C. Shea is an attorney specializing in Tax and Estate law, including Connecticut probate, IRS Defense and IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosures.

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800-657-2821

Greta E. Solomon

Estate Planning, Estate, Wrongful Termination, Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           

L. Joyelle DeFelice

Elder Law, Gift Taxation, Estate Administration, Estate Planning
Status:  In Good Standing           

Ann L. Fowler-Cruz

Wills & Probate, Trusts, Estate Planning, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           

E. O'Malley Smith

Wills & Probate, Estate Planning, Corporate, Business Organization
Status:  In Good Standing           

Brendan L. Froehlich

Wills & Probate, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Land Use & Zoning
Status:  In Good Standing           

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Sheila K. Rosenstein

Farms, Estate Planning, Family Law, Divorce
Status:  In Good Standing           

Shelby L. Wilson

Business Organization, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Tax
Status:  In Good Standing           

Andrew W. Skolnick

Class Action, Estate Planning, Consumer Protection, Corporate
Status:  In Good Standing           

Stephen P. Wright

Estate Planning, Family Law, Credit & Debt, Bankruptcy
Status:  In Good Standing           

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Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

Member Representative

Call me for fastest results!
800-943-8690

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

By submitting this lawyer request, I confirm I have read and agree to the Consent to Receive Messages from all messaging and voice technologies including Email, Text, Phone, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Information provided is not privileged or confidential.

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Easily find Bridgeport Estate Planning Lawyers and Bridgeport Estate Planning Law Firms. For more attorneys, search all Estate areas including Trusts, Wills & Probate and Power of Attorney attorneys.

LEGAL TERMS

GROSS ESTATE

For federal estate tax filing purposes, the total of all property owned at death, without regard to any debts or liens against the property or the costs of prob... (more...)
For federal estate tax filing purposes, the total of all property owned at death, without regard to any debts or liens against the property or the costs of probate. Taxes are due only on the value of the property the person actually owned (the net estate) plus the amount of any taxable gifts made during life. In a few states, the gross estate is used when computing attorney fees for probating estates; the lawyer gets a percentage of the gross estate.

TRUST MERGER

Under a trust, the situation that occurs when the sole trustee and the sole beneficiary are the same person or institution. Then, there's no longer the separati... (more...)
Under a trust, the situation that occurs when the sole trustee and the sole beneficiary are the same person or institution. Then, there's no longer the separation between the trustee's legal ownership of trust property from the beneficiary's interest. The trust 'merges' and ceases to exist.

LIVING TRUST

A trust you can set up during your life. Living trusts are an excellent way to avoid the cost and hassle of probate because the property you transfer into the t... (more...)
A trust you can set up during your life. Living trusts are an excellent way to avoid the cost and hassle of probate because the property you transfer into the trust during your life passes directly to the trust beneficiaries after you die, without court involvement. The successor trustee--the person you appoint to handle the trust after your death--simply transfers ownership to the beneficiaries you named in the trust. Living trusts are also called 'inter vivos trusts.'

PER STIRPES

Under a will, a method of determining who inherits property when a joint beneficiary has died before the willmaker, leaving living children of his or her own. F... (more...)
Under a will, a method of determining who inherits property when a joint beneficiary has died before the willmaker, leaving living children of his or her own. For example, Fred leaves his house jointly to his son Alan and his daughter Julie. But Alan dies before Fred, leaving two young children. If Fred's will states that heirs of a deceased beneficiary are to receive the property 'per stirpes,' Julie will receive one-half of the property, and Alan's two children will share his half in equal shares (through Alan by right of representation). If, on the other hand, Fred's will states that the property is to be divided per capita, Julie and the two grandchildren will each take a third.

DISCHARGE (OF PROBATE ADMINISTRATOR)

A court order releasing the administrator or executor from any further duties connected with the probate of an estate. This typically occurs when the duties hav... (more...)
A court order releasing the administrator or executor from any further duties connected with the probate of an estate. This typically occurs when the duties have been completed but may happen sooner if the executor or administrator wishes to withdraw or is dismissed.

TAKING AGAINST THE WILL

A procedure under state law that gives a surviving spouse the right to demand a certain share (usually one-third to one-half) of the deceased spouse's property.... (more...)
A procedure under state law that gives a surviving spouse the right to demand a certain share (usually one-third to one-half) of the deceased spouse's property. The surviving spouse can take that share instead of accepting whatever he or she inherited through the deceased spouse's will. If the surviving spouse decides to take the statutory share, it's called 'taking against the will.' Dower and curtesy is another name for the same legal process.

ESTATE PLANNING

The art of continuing to prosper when you're alive, and passing your property to your loved ones with a minimum of fuss and expense after you die. Planning your... (more...)
The art of continuing to prosper when you're alive, and passing your property to your loved ones with a minimum of fuss and expense after you die. Planning your estate may involve making a will, living trust, healthcare directives, durable power of attorney for finances or other documents.

TRUST CORPUS

Latin for 'the body' of the trust. This term refers to all the property transferred to a trust. For example, if a trust is established (funded) with $250,000, t... (more...)
Latin for 'the body' of the trust. This term refers to all the property transferred to a trust. For example, if a trust is established (funded) with $250,000, that money is the corpus. Sometimes the trust corpus is known as the 'res,' a Latin word meaning 'thing.'

FAMILY ALLOWANCE

A certain amount of a deceased person's money to which immediate family members are entitled at the beginning of the probate process. The allowance is meant to ... (more...)
A certain amount of a deceased person's money to which immediate family members are entitled at the beginning of the probate process. The allowance is meant to help support the surviving spouse and children during the time it takes to probate the estate. The amount is determined by state law and varies greatly from state to state.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Przekopski v. Przekop

... defendants' appeal. The plaintiff and Barbara Przekop are siblings and the children of the decedent. Prior to the decedent's death, he had used survivorship bank accounts as a means of estate planning. He had established ...

PRZEKOPSKI v. PRZEKOP

... defendants' appeal. The plaintiff and Barbara Przekop are siblings and the children of the decedent. Prior to the decedent's death, he had used survivorship bank accounts as a means of estate planning. He had established ...

State v. Coccomo

... For instance, the transfer of property may be done for many legitimate purposes, such as estate planning, gifts to children, or a bona fide sale to an independent third party. The act of the transfer in the present case does not imply the fact to be inferred—that of a guilty mind. ...