Estate Planning & Probate

Estate Planning.

Mr. Pulliam assists clients in developing and implementing their estate planning objectives.  His services include:

• Conferring with clients and working closely with their accountants, tax counsel, financial advisors, and others with respect to assessing their current financial situation, and determining their wishes, desires, and goals regarding the administration of their assets during their lifetime and after their passing;
• Drafting the documents necessary to implement a client’s estate planning documents, including:
• a Last Will and Testament;
• General Durable Powers of Attorney for financial matters in the event of the client’s incapacity during lifetime;
• Healthcare Powers of Attorney and Healthcare Directives dealing with a client’s healthcare decisions during their lifetime if a client becomes incapacitated during his/her lifetime;
• Revocable [Living] Trusts;
• Beneficiary Deeds;
• Assignments of Tangible Personal Property;
• Retitling assets with TOD (transfer-on-death)/POD (payable on death) designations to achieve both estate planning goals and probate avoidance;
• Discussing options for beneficiary designations for life insurance policies, IRAs, and retirement plan accounts;
• Meeting with clients to address any questions, changes, or comments they may have regarding the drafts of the documents sent to them for review;
• Meeting with clients to properly execute their estate planning documents and to process any post-execution actions that need to be taken (i.e., filing any Beneficiary Deeds with the proper Recorder of Deeds);
• Reviewing a client’s existing estate planning documents and making recommendations, if any, for changes thereto;
• Preparing amendments to a client’s existing estate planning documents and orchestrating execution of same.

Probate Matters.

Mr. Pulliam has counseled and represented parties in matters involving the probate courts in eastern Missouri (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County), including:

• Conferring with clients, ascertaining critical background facts and information regarding the decedent and their financial affairs, analyzing the facts in light of existing law, providing the client with recommendations as to how to proceed with the decedent’s affairs;
• Preparing, interacting with the client on, and filing the paperwork necessary to commence the probate process including:
• Application for Probate of Will;
• Application for Letters Testamentary;
• Application for Letters of Administration;
• Refusal of Letters;
• Once a probate estate has been opened, working with and assisting the client in the administration of the estate including:
• Obtaining a federal identification number for the estate;
• Obtaining a bond (if required);
• Preparing and filing an Inventory with the probate court;
• Collecting the assets of the estate and paying any debts of the decedent;
• Addressing and handling any claims filed against the estate;
• Liquidating assets of the estate;
• Preparing settlements, appropriate waivers, and other documents needed to close the estate and distribute any remaining assets.
• Meeting and conferring (in person or remotely) with judges, commissioners, and staff of the probate court in connection with issues about or questions concerning the estate.