How To Work As A Trustee In A Trust Litigation Los Angeles Case

By Sandra Hughes


When named the trustee for a deceased person, you will have various responsibilities that are outlined in the trust. Your main responsibilities will include ensuring that the taxes and debts of the deceased are paid and accounting for all assets. You will also ensure that the remaining assets are distributed fairly to the appropriate beneficiaries. Below are some of the things you require for trust litigation Los Angeles.

In your first day when serving the position of a trustee, you can begin by availing death certificate, wills and testaments belonging to your client and beneficiary addresses. Make more than five copies of these documents since they will be needed by various non governmental and governmental agencies especially when you are handling trusts.

The basic roles for trustees vary based on the jurisdiction in which the trustee is situated. These roles include managing and investing assets of a deceased person. Furthermore, trusts normally outline the manner in which beneficiaries should receive their inheritance. If these trusts are unclear, a litigation lawyer with experience in trusts must be hired. Trustees must also record monetary transactions made when managing the assets.

As a trustee you may represent the decedent and be a personal representative at the same time. Alternatively, if you only choose to represent the decedent, you need to work closely with a personal representative to determine the value of the assets. You are also required to contact social security and update them on the death of the decedent. Any social security payment made during the time that a decedent died should be returned as the law mandates.

Just like the trustees, beneficiaries also have their entitlements regarding the inheritance that is to be distributed by a trustee. For example, in the will, a certain beneficiary may only be allowed to inherit a small share of the inheritance. Consequently, the will may also state that another beneficiary should receive all the inheritance according to the wishes of the deceased. Irrespective of how the inheritance will be divided, beneficiaries must access detailed information on how it is managed and invested. This information should also be availed by the trustee.

You should be prepared for questions and challenges that may be directed to you by the beneficiaries. At times, beneficiaries fail to comply with the conditions outlined in a will. In such circumstances, some act irrationally and proceed to court to seek justice regarding their inheritance.

Communication is also paramount when tasked with the role of a trustee. You should update beneficiaries regarding the status of their inheritance. This is because most of them are usually impatient and may act irrationally due to their impatience. You can adopt modern communication modes such as telephone calls. Beneficiaries are more settled when a trustee frequently gets in touch with them.

Successor trustees must be neutral when dealing with beneficiaries of an inheritance that they were appointed to distribute. They should also stick to the wishes of their deceased client irrespective of how the beneficiaries react. This mitigates the chances of family conflicts that would arise when beneficiaries are not content with the wishes of their deceased loved one.




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