Mrs. Watkins leads in the firm’s Trusts & Estates and Tax Practice Group and  has over 25 years of experience in the estate planning and estate administration areas. She offers sophisticated transfer tax planning techniques where needed, and compassion and understanding with regard to the personal aspects of estate planning.  Some of the components of estate plans developed and implemented by Mrs. Watkins include the following:

• Tax Planning Wills
• Advance Health Care Directives
• Powers of Attorney for Property
• Revocable Living Trusts
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
• Irrevocable Gifting Trusts
• Generation Skipping Transfer Tax Planning
• Family Limited Partnerships
• Charitable Lead Trusts
• Charitable Remainder Trusts
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts
• Special Needs Trusts
• Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts
• Private Foundations
• Qualified Sub-Chapter S Trusts
• Retirement Plan Trusts
• Qualified Domestic Trusts

Mrs. Watkins offers legal assistance in the administration of decendents' estates including  post-mortem planning solutions to mitigate the consequences of poor planning.  Estate administration services are offered on a case by case basis, consisting of as little or as much professional assistance as the decedent’s family and personal representatives need or desire.  Estate administration services might include some or all of the following:

• Petition to Probate Will (testate estate) or Petition for Letters of Administration (intestate estate)
• Record-Keeping and Accounting
• Disclaimers and Renunciations
• Executor’s Deed of Assent
• Petition for Year’s Support
• Preparation and Filing of Estate Tax Returns and Fiduciary Income Tax Returns
• Collection of Life Insurance Proceeds and Retirement Plan Benefits
• Post-Mortem Tax Planning and Funding of Trusts
• Petition for Discharge and closing the estate