Skyline View
Justia Lawyer Rating for Jules M. Haas
NYSBA - Badge
ABA - Badge
New York City Bar - Badge
Avvo - Badge

Estate Administration Attorney

What Does An Estate Administration Attorney in New York City Do?

When a person dies, his or her assets must be collected, managed, and distributed.  Typically an Administrator or Executor needs to be appointed to perform these tasks. An estate administration attorney will represent a client to obtain his or her appointment as Administrator or Executor.

A New York City estate administration attorney knows that it is important at the beginning of an estate administration to obtain as much information concerning the decedent as possible.  Typically I ask a client who is applying to become the estate fiduciary to bring for review all the papers that are available regarding the estate.  These papers include past income tax returns, bank statements, brokerage account reports, bills such as credit card debts and medical bills, mortgage bills, deeds, retirement fund items and life insurance papers.  The preparation of the appropriate forms for the Surrogate's Court is expedited and made more complete for having all of these items available for review.

The estate attorney typically prepares all of the Court papers for the proposed Executor or Administrator to review and then file them with the Court after they are approved and signed by the client.  This process can be expedited if all of the necessary information is quickly located.  The Surrogate's Court review of complete and accurate papers can then lead to the probate of a Will or grant an appointment of an administrator in an intestate estate.  In estate cases, the court wants to have an original certified copy of the decedent's death certificate.  Also, in Probate matters and Intestate Administration filings, there needs to be a petition.  The petition, whether it is a Probate Petition or Petition for Letters of Administration, needs to contain information  such as the names and addresses of the decedent's  next of kin. Also, the petition must specify the established value of the property which constitutes the estate. There are additional papers that may be needed.  These can include a Kinship Affidavit or a Bond Affidavit that list the various outstanding debts such as funeral expenses, medical bills and credit card bills.

The estate administration attorney will then continue to represent the Executor or Administrator with respect to such duties as collecting assets and obtaining appraisals as required, filing inventories in a timely manner; paying creditors; filing estate and income tax returns and paying taxes, if any; distributing remaining assets to beneficiaries and finally closing the estate by filing a final account.  Many of these tasks require that the estate attorney provide third parties with documents and authorizations properly signed by the fiduciary as well as certified copies of Letters of Testamentary and Letters of Administration. 

Additional services that the estate fiduciary can benefit from is assistance with obtaining a proper tax identification number and opening an estate bank account for the deposit of estate assets.

As a New York City estate administration lawyer, I have many years of experience serving clients throughout New York. I have represented many clients in matters of probate, fiduciary appointment and estate administration.  I work closely with my clients to efficiently perform and complete the entire estate administration process. I graduated in the top 10% of my class at The New England School of Law in Boston and served on the prestigious “Law Review.” I have been an attorney at law in my own law practice in New York City since 1985.

To contact me regarding any questions or concerns call (212) 355-2575 or e-mail for a free appointment with an estate administration lawyer in New York City.

Client Reviews
★★★★★
I am very grateful to Mr. Jules Martin Haas attorney of law in New York. I am from Buenos Aires Argentina. He managed with expertise a very difficult situation. of a complicate heritage from my aunt Anna Grodzka that lived and died a very long time ago in New York. I recommend him not only for his extraordinary knowledge but also for his kindness. Irma CW Peusner
★★★★★
I found Mr. Haas after being misguided by a former attorney. Mr. Jules Haas took our case which involved an estate/trust dispute. What initially seemed like an impossible and overwhelming legal fight was now in the hands of someone who had the integrity and legal expertise to win our case. Mr Haas' attention to detail and his expert knowledge base, skillfully and successfully guided us through an intricate legal process. I am very thankful and grateful to Mr. Jules Haas for representing our interest and ultimately winning. Bringing about a peace of mind we needed. Thank You Devida Nedd
★★★★★
I was in need of a guardianship attorney and I hired the services of Jules M. Haas' Law firm. The service of counselor Haas and his staff, was very profesional and the case was handled in a timely matter. I would strongly recommend his services Angel Guevara
★★★★★
I strongly recommend Jules Haas. I have worked with him for two years and he has provided so much support and followed through with everything he promised he would do. His support staff is just as helpful! We had an interesting case and he helped to solve each part of it legally and was very thorough. Thank you for everything you have done to finalize our families estate Robyn Stafford
★★★★★
Jules Haas helped me with managing the process in probate court for my father's estate through to its completion upon the sale of my father's house. He was knowledgeable, efficient, and effective in submitting documentation to the probate court, explaining procedures to me, and advising me as to the progress of my case. His support staff was also very helpful. He made what for me created so much anxiety into something manageable where I could see progress every step of the way. His fees were very reasonable. I am super grateful to him for all the help he has provided and strongly recommend his services. Diana Janer
★★★★★
I just completed an estate transaction where Jules Haas represented my client in an estate and he did a great job! He was very quick at responding to all matters throughout the sale process, he was detailed, he was knowledgeable and he was a pleasure to work with. I just recommended him to some new clients who are going through an estate matter and will continue to recommend him. Rodolfo Lucchese