Estate and Trust Administration
Bendtsen law firm, Inc., provides services to trustees to assist in trust administration. These services include providing guidance on the general fiduciary duties of a trustee, providing guidance on prudent investment practices, and communicating with beneficiaries and their attorneys.
Bendtsen law firm, Inc., also provides services to administrators of a decedent’s estate. These services include providing statutorily required notices to beneficiaries and heirs, guiding the executor through probate if necessary, and providing efficient alternatives to probate (such as small estate affidavits).
Estate Planning
Sophisticated estate planning is a pillar of our practice. Bendtsen law firm, Inc., provides services ranging from the preparation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives to more complex planning to achieve each client’s specific goals.
Clients seeking more complex planning may consider creating a grantor retained annuity trust to gift property to a child in an efficient tax manner, create a qualified personal residence trust to minimize gift tax when transferring a home, or creating a life insurance trust to manage and hold proceeds of a life insurance policy. We also provide charitable planning guidance, which includes the creation and maintenance of charitable trusts and private foundations, and asset protection planning.
Litigation
Bendtsen law firm, Inc., draws upon our breadth of litigation and alternative dispute resolution experience. Our litigation experience includes challenging and defending the validity of estate planning documents, bringing and defending conservatorship and guardianship proceedings, recovering damages for breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate matters. We primarily serve as co-counsel with, or consultants to, seasoned litigators who serve as lead counsel in the litigation matters.
Corporate Matters
A key component of a family’s estate plan often includes the formation and administration of the family business. These businesses take many forms, such as corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. We can assist in the creation of these entities by drafting and filing the necessary documents. If required, Bendtsen law firm, Inc., will also assist in the maintenance of these entities to ensure that the entity is in good standing with state and federal authorities.