Wills, Estates, Trusts & Probate

Protecting Your Assets and Your Family in New Jersey

Our attorneys provide a wide range of advisory and support services to our estate planning and probate clients.

The attorneys of Gebhardt & Kiefer, P.C., represent individuals and families in the creation of estate plans to preserve assets and minimize the impact of estate and gift taxes. We also guide family members and heirs through the New Jersey probate process.

Sophisticated Estate and Business Succession Planning

Our lawyers draft complex wills with trust provisions, including:

• Credit shelter trusts.
• QTIP trusts (primarily for second marriages).
• QDOT trusts (for non-US citizens).
• Special needs trusts (to preserve eligibility for governmental benefits).
• Living trusts (for minors or those with special needs).
• QPRTs (qualified personal residence trusts).
• Grantor retained trusts (GRATs and GRITs).
• Charitable remainder and lead trusts.
• Irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs for individual life insurance coverage as well as "second-to-die/survivorship" coverage).
• Family limited partnerships (to take advantage of the planning and valuation benefits afforded by those entities).

Our Probate, Estates and Trusts lawyers include Mark H. Chazin, John G. Manfreda, and Lori MacWilliam.  Our lawyers have much experience in the preparation of general and limited powers of attorney, living wills, and health care powers of attorney. We also provide elder law services such as Medicaid planning.

Learn more: What happens if you die without a will in New Jersey?

Probate/Trust Administration and Litigation

Our lawyers are experienced in the probate of wills and the administration of estates and trusts, including preparation of federal estate tax and New Jersey transfer inheritance and estate tax returns.

We also represent administrators, beneficiaries and heirs in probate litigation such as will contests.

Contact Our Attorneys

For more information or to set up an estate planning or probate consultation with a lawyer at Gebhardt & Kiefer, P.C., call 908-735-5161, or fill out the contact form on this site.  Our firm serves clients throughout central and northwestern New Jersey.