The Law Office of Michael J. Stelmack represents the personal representatives of decedent’s estates, trustees, fiduciaries, beneficiaries, legatees, and heirs in the state of Maryland. Michael J. Stelmack routinely serves as court-appointed personal representative and successor personal representative in probate matters in Maryland’s orphans’ courts.
Estate Administration is the process by which a decedent’s property is distributed to its ultimate beneficiaries, whether that be through joint ownership, pay-on-death accounts, insurance beneficiaries, inheriting retirement accounts, or through the probate process, and includes the payment of Maryland and federal estate taxes.
Probate is one aspect of estate administration, where a decedent’s will is filed with the local register of wills and the named personal representative petitions for appointment. Where there is no will, a relative or interested person may petition for appointment as personal representative and administer the estate in accordance with the laws of intestacy, which are Maryland’s default rules for the distribution of a decedent’s probate estate. Upon appointment the personal representative is expected to administer, manage, and distribute the probate assets in accordance with Maryland’s laws.
The Law Office of Michael J. Stelmack represents personal representatives, assisting clients with the probate petition, filing an inventory, managing creditors and claims, determination and payment of inheritance tax liability, working with accountants to file fiduciary income tax returns and estate tax returns, filing accountings with the orphans’ court, supervising the payment of administration expenses, and the sale or distribution of decedent’s residence and assets, and making distributions to the decedent’s legatees or heirs.