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Probate and Estate Administration

Probate in CT

When a family member passes away, there are many important issues the survivors must face. The estate left behind is comprised of that person’s assets and liabilities. Our Firm is highly skilled at navigating Connecticut’s laws governing estates and both probate and trust administration.

As probate attorneys, Ericson, Scalise & Mangan are highly skilled in estate administration. We help our clients navigate complex tax and probate laws and have a high level of knowledge and experience in this area of the law. Often, we can alert our clients to issues and opportunities others can miss. We work in conjunction with the executor and/or trustee, the family and the family’s financial advisors and accountants.

Our estate administration services include:

Probate is a series of legal processes that disposes of a decedent's estate. Probate includes taking note of a will or trusts, inventorying and appraising any property, and notifying any beneficiaries. If there is no will, the court will appoint an administrator to manage the estate. The executor or administrator will have to take note of any outstanding debts — generally, creditors have about a year to make any claims — and file a final income tax return. Depending on the size of the estate, federal and state estate tax returns may also be necessary. Once the debts are settled, the executor will distribute the estate as outlined in the will. Gathering the papers and processing all the information can be a time-consuming task and can take up to a year or more if the estate is complicated.
The estate of a Connecticut resident who passes away is subject to a tax before the assets are distributed to heirs. This applies only if the estate value reaches a certain threshold after any available exemption is applied.
This is a tax on a person’s right to transfer property at their death. It consists of an accounting of everything you own or have interests in at the date of death, including property, cash and securities, real estate, insurance, trusts, annuities, business interests, and other assets. A tax filing is required if the gross estate of the decedent is valued at more than the filing threshold for the year in which they pass.
This process protects your family's privacy, including financial information, so that assets and how they are distributed are kept private. A trust administrator is appointed by the probate court to oversee a decedent's estate when there is no will.
Once a persona is deceased, their estate is administered and distributed in accordance with their final wishes written in their will. Assets may be distributed to heirs, beneficiaries, or through trusts. An executor is responsible for ensuring that the wishes in the decedent’s will are carried out including distribution of assets.
Contesting a deceased person’s will is the act of disputing the validity of a last will and testament. Often, someone who believes they should have been a beneficiary contests a will. When the will is filed in probate court, interested parties are notified. They have a certain timeframe wherein they may object to, or contest, the will. The court determines if the will is valid and other concerns, such as who is an heir, beneficiaries, values, and assets.