Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Administration
From their Cleveland office in Northeast Ohio, the attorneys at Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper, LLC offer a personal, confidential approach to estate planning and the administration of wills and trusts on behalf of clients statewide. NGC attorneys have represented individuals in the development and documentation of complete estate plans, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, irrevocable trusts, and family entities.
Comprehensive Estate Planning
Attorneys at NGC assist clients by advising and drafting the estate plan best suited to their needs, considering factors such as minimization of tax consequences, probate avoidance, and wealth preservation.
In addition, the firm's attorneys assist clients in providing for the possibility of mental or physical incapacity, and prepare the necessary documents to enable the client's wishes regarding medical care, legal affairs, and end-of-life decisions to be respectfully carried out.
Estate Planning and Business Succession
The firm has represented business owners in the design and documentation of business succession plans, and has represented a company president in negotiations with the company owner and father-in-law over corporate succession, including negotiating an interim buy-sell agreement funded with life insurance. NGC attorneys have also consulted with numerous business owners on business succession issues, including the design and implementation of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).
Probate and Trust Administration
NGC attorneys have represented numerous executors and administrators in the probate administration of estates and have represented fiduciaries in connection with the defense and settlement of probate disputes, including completing administrations of multi-million dollar estates. The firm has also represented clients in the design, documentation, and implementation of Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts and a host of other Trusts.
NGC can ably assist clients with any of the following instruments:
- Wills
- Trusts
- Testamentary Trusts
- Powers of Attorney
- Health Care Powers of Attorney
- Living Wills
- Guardianships
- Special Needs Trusts
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
- Qualified Personal Residence Trusts
- Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts
- Trust Funding
- Income Tax Planning
- Estate, Gift, Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
- Succession Planning
- Family Limited Partnerships and LLCs
- Planned Charitable Giving
- Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts
- Charitable Lead Trusts
- Administration of Trusts and Estates
