Wills, Trusts, & Estates
Gross McGinley’s Wills and Estates Group lawyers provide a mix of legal services to protect your family and help you plan for a secure future. Our attorneys are skilled and knowledgeable in designing customized estate plans to fit the particular financial and familial needs of our clients, including young families at the start of their journey, blended families, business owners and professionals. When beneficial to the client, our estate planning attorneys work in tandem with colleagues from our other service groups in areas such as Business Planning, Tax and Family Law.
An overview of our Wills and Estates Group service offering:
Estate Planning
We prepare and counsel clients on simple and complex estate plans which may include:
- Last Will and Testament
- Financial Powers of Attorney
- Health Care Powers of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directives (Living Will)
- Tax planning and strategies for high wealth individuals
- Business succession plans
- Irrevocable and/or Revocable Living Trusts
- Special and Supplemental Needs Trusts
As loved ones age, we understand the often confusing and difficult decisions a family must make. Gross McGinley attorneys are sensitive to families who are confronting the stresses of deciding when is the right time for admission to a care facility and the question of payment. We provide guidance through the complexities of choosing a facility, payment options, Medicaid asset preservation, and review of Long-Term Care Insurance contracts. Our attorneys also review long-term care facility contracts and have the capacity to handle nursing home negligence matters including abuse and injury to residents. We also have attorneys accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to handle claims for veterans’ benefits.
Estate and Trust Administration
Our estate administration services include probate of the decedent’s will or Petitioning for the appointment of an Administrator in the absence of a will, identification and gathering of assets, preparation of estate fiduciary income tax returns, preparation of the inheritance tax return, distribution of assets, and obtaining discharge of the personal representative. We advise on the legal issues associated with creation, administration, and termination of a trust. Even at this stage, clients turn to our practiced attorneys for counsel on reducing taxes and preserving wealth to ensure the grantor’s intentions are preserved while serving the needs of the beneficiaries.
Orphan’s Court Litigation
In Pennsylvania, the Orphan’s Court handles matters dealing with estates, trusts, guardians, and fiduciaries. Our attorney frequently represent clients in disputes regarding matters to be heard and decided by the Orphan’s Court such as will contests, questions about the proper administration of an estate or trust, and as an Agent under a Power of Attorney. We represent executors, trustees, guardians, agents under powers of attorney, and other fiduciaries both in enforcing the rights of the entities they administer and in defending those who are challenged in the execution of their duties. Some examples are third party creditor claims, real estate transactions, tax matters before the IRS and/or the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, personal injury claims, incapacity proceedings, and other disputes.
