Wills & Estate Administration

Estate Planning and Probate Lawyers

Comprehensive Planning for Whatever May Come

Without a will, you leave determinations about your health care, your finances and your family's inheritance in the hands of the government. The Law Office of DeCaro & Howell provides insightful estate planning to protect yourself and your loved ones. Come what may.

Whether you are drafting your first estate plan or updating an old will to reflect changes in your life, we invite you to arrange a consultation at our offices in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. With over 40 years of combined legal experience, partners Thomas DeCaro and Marla Howell can help you plan for all contingencies.

A basic estate plan includes the following elements, tailored to your specific needs:

• A simple (or complex) will outlining who will inherit which assets
• Appointment of guardians for minor children in the event of your death
• Durable powers of attorney to control your business and financial affairs if you are incapacitated
• A health care power of attorney to make medical decisions on your behalf
• A living will/advance directive to guide doctors and family regarding end-of-life provisions
• Trusts to expedite the transfer of assets directly to beneficiaries, bypassing probate

For clients with high net worth, especially those whose estates may be subject to federal estate taxes and substantial state inheritance taxes, our attorneys also provide advanced estate planning services.

Many law firms will set up your estate plan and leave you to manage it on your own. That won't happen at DeCaro & Howell. Once we determine what is needed, we charge a reasonable flat fee for each particular estate plan. This fee covers transfers of assets into trusts, which we make sure are accomplished in a timely and legally compliant manner.

Probate and Estate Administration

We represent the executor of a will in settling a loved one's estate, or the appointed personal representative if there is no will. Our lawyers assist with the following duties:

• Opening the estate and marshaling assets
• Preparing and filing all other forms to finalize the estate
• Liquidating assets and paying debts
• Distributing remaining assets to heirs
• Filing income tax returns

DeCaro & Howell can also represent the estate or excluded heirs in will contests (undue influence, testamentary capacity), or represent the estate or personal representative in accusations of breach of fiduciary duty.

For experienced estate planning that prepares you for all possibilities — however unlikely — contact our Upper Marlboro office at 301-464-1400