Estate Planning

The Micklin Law Group Can Help You with Your Estate Planning Needs

Developing an estate plan is a smart way to plan for the future, protect our loved ones and make sure that your wishes are carried out. At The Micklin Law Group we help people create smart estate plans that give you peace of mind. Our estate planning expertise equips us to do this simply and effectively. We include all the details that will help you keep your assets safe and secure.

We also help you if you are looking to update your estate plan or change the beneficiaries in any of your documents.

• Last Will and Testament / Probate
• Lifetime Gifting
• Joint Ownership
• Beneficiary Designations
• Life Estates
• Family Limited Partnerships
• Trusts
• Durable Power of Attorney
• Health Care Directive / Living wills, also known as Advanced Directives
• Survivorship deeds and transfer on death affidavits Corporate / L.L.C. Shields

Smart Solutions for the Transfer of Wealth
As a result of our smart estate planning, you and your family can manage the transfer of wealth in ways that protect your financial interests. We look beyond probate, to non-probate methods as well as federal and state estate taxation planning to protect our clients. We will customize an estate planning solution that fits your needs for security now and in the future.

Legal Counsel for NJ Guardianships
In cases in which an adult or child is mentally or physically unable to care for him or herself, we can help you establish a guardianship, conservatorship or power of attorney that will mean security for that person for the long haul. Every family situation is unique. We present you with all your options and counsel you to find the legal solution that is most appropriate for your situation. A guardianship may or may not be the best option for you.

Trust Planning

Trust Administration & Probate

When a family loses a loved one, the deceased's estate frequently will go through the county court's probate process to finalize the payment of all outstanding debts and to distribute the remaining assets. NJ probate law can be confusing and the administrative process is complicated.  If you recently lost a loved one it would likely be the last thing you want to do; an experienced probate lawyer can help your family resolve all outstanding issues regarding their estate quickly, efficiently and at a reasonable cost.

The Micklin Law Group offers expert legal assistance in the following areas:

• Insurance Trusts
• Living Trusts
• Revocable Trusts
• Irrevocable Trusts
• Charitable Remainder Trust
• Generation Skipping Trust
• Life Insurance Trust
• Charitable Remainder Trusts
• Disclaimer Trust
• NJ probate law
• Credit Shelter Trust

The Micklin Law Group is committed to resolving clients' probate proceedings quickly and efficiently, while protecting remaining assets and distributing those assets to beneficiaries as rapidly as possible.

Contesting a Will

What are legitimate grounds for contesting a will?

Contesting a will is a difficult and often expensive process, which must be paid out of pocket by the individual.  However, there are certain cases where actual legal grounds may be relavent to the case. There are four points to consider when contesting a will for validity.

• The will wasn't signed in accordance with applicable state laws.
• The Testator lacked testamentary capacity to sign a will.
• The Testator was unduly influenced into signed a will.
• The will was procured by fraud

If you feel as though your particular case falls under one of these four categories you should consider contesting.

Brad Micklin, senior member of Micklin Law Group, is a NJ attorney specializing in complicated probate and family law.