Wills, Trusts, and Estates Administration

Designed for paralegal students and legal professionals

Flexible, complete coverage of all pertinent topics in the field of estate planning, in a format that’s accessible to all levels of students

Wills, Trusts, and Estates Administration presents the fundamentals of the field in a flexible approach that captures the complexities of modern estate planning while maintaining a clear, accessible style. The book’s self-contained chapters let instructors easily adapt the material to their own classes and students. Written by a lawyer with 30 years of experience in the estate-planning field, it covers practical issues that arise in law office—situations that students will actually encounter when they begin their careers. The focus is on issues that concern today’s typical American client, such as the trend towards an aging population, the growing population of families in second marriages, blended families and families in which the grandparents are raising their grandchildren, as well as those families that include non-married or same-sex couples. Current statistics concerning the aging population in the United States keep readers up to date on how current trends affect the estate planning industry.

Suzan Herskowitz is a graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law. Ms. Herskowitz has been practicing law since 1986 and is licensed in Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, and Texas. In addition to being a sole practitioner with an emphasis on wills, trusts, estate planning, elder law, real estate, and business planning, Ms. Herskowitz has utilized her law school education in numerous and diverse ways. She has been a law librarian at Nova Southeastern University School of Law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a professor at Keiser College (now Keiser University), and an editor for a publisher of legal books. Ms. Herskowitz has authored a number of legal books. Wills, Trusts and Estate Administration and Legal Research Made Easy, 4th Edition (Sourcebooks). The 2nd edition of Legal Research Made Easy was recommended by Library Journal and highly recommended by the National Association of Legal Assistants' Facts and Findings. In 1995, portions of the book were translated into Russian for the American Legal Consortium. She lectures frequently on estate planning and other topics of interest. She has been featured on WACV, a Montgomery, Alabama radio show and on the Phil Grandy Show on WQAM, a Sarasota, Florida station. She was also featured on Tampa's FOX affiliate. Ms. Herskowitz has been profiled in various print media including the Palm Beach Post, the Stuart (Florida) News and Investor's Business Daily. She has been a featured guest on The River's Valley Business Today (95.3 FM) in Virginia a few times.

Preface 

Acknowledgments 

1. Purpose and Need for a Will 

2. Property 

3. Testate or Intestate 

4. The Will 

5. Will Preparation and Drafting 

6. Advance Directives 

7. Planning for Non-Traditional Families 

8. Trusts: Elements and Purpose 

9. Specialized Trusts and Gifts 

10. The Personal Representative 

11. Estate Administration 

12. Tax Considerations in Estate Administration 

13. The Probate Court and Uniform Laws 

14. Paralegals and Ethics 

Appendix A Important Cases Concerning the Right to Die 

Appendix B Selected Wills of Famous People 

Appendix C Internet Websites 

Appendix D 

Glossary 

Index 

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