Losing a loved one is hard enough. Dealing with courts, deadlines, paperwork, and family questions on top of that can feel overwhelming.

At Knox Legacy Law, we help families move through probate and trust administration with clarity, dignity, and as little stress as possible. Our role is to take the legal burden off your shoulders so you can focus on your family and honoring your loved one.

You don’t have to figure this out alone — and you don’t have to make costly mistakes while trying to.

Estate administration is the legal process of settling a person’s affairs after death. That may include:

• Identifying and valuing assets
   
• Paying valid debts and final expenses
   
• Handling required court filings
   
• Transferring property to heirs or beneficiaries
   

If there is no trust, the process usually involves probate court.
If there is a trust, the process is typically handled through trust administration, often with less court involvement — but still with serious legal responsibilities.

Either way, the person in charge (executor, personal representative, or trustee) carries legal duties and potential liability. Getting good legal guidance matters.

Probate is the court-supervised process of settling an estate when:

• There is no trust, or
   
• Assets were not properly transferred into a trust, or
   
• There are disputes among heirs or creditors
   

We guide you through every stage of probate, including:

• Filing the initial court documents
   
• Appointment of the personal representative
   
• Notice to creditors and heirs
   
• Inventory and accounting requirements
   
• Final distribution and closing of the estate
   

Our goal is to keep probate as efficient, calm, and conflict-free as possible, while making sure everything is done correctly.

Even when someone has done good estate planning, the work does not stop at death. Trustees still must:

• Follow the trust’s legal instructions
   
• Provide required notices to beneficiaries
   
• Manage and distribute trust assets properly
   
• Handle taxes and final expenses
   

Mistakes can lead to personal liability for the trustee and unnecessary conflict within families.

We help trustees understand their responsibilities and carry them out with confidence, including:

• Step-by-step administration guidance
   
• Asset transfers and deeds
   
• Beneficiary communications
   
• Final trust distribution and closing
   

Our approach is practical and organized — not buried in legal jargon.

Some estates involve more than simple paperwork. We regularly help families dealing with:

• Blended families and second marriages
   
• Out-of-state property
   
• Family businesses and farms
   
• Creditor claims
   
• Disagreements between heirs or beneficiaries
   

When tensions are high, clear legal structure and steady leadership matter. We focus on protecting the estate, reducing conflict where possible, and helping families reach resolution without unnecessary court battles.

Many families come to us because they want more than just document filing. They want:

• Clear explanations in plain language
   
• Honest guidance about options and risks
   
• Prompt communication
   
• A lawyer who actually knows their case
   

As a veteran-owned practice, our approach is mission-driven:
protect the vulnerable, take responsibility seriously, and finish what we start.

We treat estate administration as a duty of care — not just a legal process.

If you’ve recently lost a loved one and don’t know where to begin, that’s normal.

We can help you determine:

• Whether probate is required
   
• Whether a trust controls the estate
   
• What your responsibilities are
   
• What the next legal steps should be
   

The sooner you get good guidance, the easier the process usually becomes.

If you are serving as an executor, personal representative, or trustee — or if your family is unsure what to do next — contact Knox Legacy Law today to schedule a consultation and get clear direction forward.