El Paso Probate Lawyer

When someone you love dies, it can be overwhelming and traumatizing. Your loss maybe even more difficult if they named you as their executor- on top of normal grieving, there are now legal steps you need to take to manage risk and protect the estate.

The experienced estate attorneys at Forbes & Forbes can help you with your executor duties. Through our compassionate and personalized approach, we can lower stress and provide peace of mind to those going through the often-challenging estate administration or probate process.

Probate

Probate is the court-supervised process of distributing a person’s estate after they have passed away. Our El Paso probate lawyers, Susan Forbes and Stewart Forbes provide their clients with the personal attention and high-quality legal guidance they deserve during such a sad and difficult time in their lives.

Susan and Stewart have the experience and dedication you are seeking in a probate lawyer. Since 1992, they have been helping clients navigate the process so that they can focus on grieving and healing. She has also worked with families to distribute estate property, provide for minor children and special needs loved ones, and overcome any creditor issues connected with the estate.

Probate can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a year for especially large or complicated estates. Fortunately, many potential issues can be addressed while your loved one is still alive, while others can be handled by a qualified and experienced El Paso probate attorney. Susan and Stewart are well-versed in probate laws and can walk you and your family through all necessary steps.

Estate Planning

No one likes to think about a time when they may be incapacitated, disabled, or even deceased. However, having your estate in order in case something unexpected happens will ease your stress and protect your loved ones.

We can assist you with establishing and maintaining estate planning tools like the following:

• Wills: According to a recent survey, the majority of Americans do not have a will. Let us help you create a valid document that allows you to specify your wishes for the future distribution of your estate. Wills can also be used to appoint a guardian for your children if you and their other parent pass while they are still minors.
• Living (revocable) trusts: A living trust should be used in certain types of estates to allow  larger estates to move assets from the name of the owner into the trust. The trustee, which can be you or someone you appoint, has a fiduciary duty to manage the trust for its beneficiaries. You may change its terms as your circumstances change and even revoke it if necessary.
• Irrevocable trusts: We have experience with all types of irrevocable trusts. They include but are not limited to life insurance trusts that remove the policy proceeds from the estate, thereby reducing taxes; special needs trusts that protect a vulnerable loved one financially while preserving their eligibility for government benefits; charitable remainder trusts that provide for your preferred charity after you pass, and generation-skipping trusts that protect your grandchildren’s future inheritances.

Our estate planning attorneys, Susan Forbes and Stewart Forbes, advice individual and corporate fiduciaries with administration issues affecting trusts, estates, and businesses. They also provides reliable and effective trust administration services. To ensure the best possible outcome, contact an attorney experienced in probate and estate planning to help you through this stressful life event.

Business Law

Legal issues often arise in business. Our law firm attempts at all times to provide you with thorough and timely legal advice, as well as cost-effective litigation services when disputes arise over transactions or commercial disputes. Forbes & Forbes can assist you in the following areas:

• Business formations and commercial transactions: Let us help you form and manage the right entity for your business, whether it be a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, or other entity.
• Commercial collections: Our legal services include business debt collection. Susan Forbes is a member of the Commercial Law League of America (CLLA) and will help you maintain a strong financial profile.
• Contract disputes: We help clients protect their rights and their business when contract disputes arise and even draft and review contracts to prevent problems from occurring in the first place.
• Construction disputes: Construction disagreements can be time-consuming and expensive. Our legal services include practical and cost-effective dispute resolution, so your project can move forward. Our services also include assistance in protecting a claim for payment by asserting a Mechanic’s and Materialman’s lien and bond claims.
• Real estate transactions and construction law: We have years of experience in construction and real estate law. Let us use our skills and insights to achieve positive results.
• Mediation and arbitration: We provide legal representation during alternative dispute resolution strategies that can help you avoid costly litigation.

As a Small Law Firm, Every Case is Important to Us

At Forbes & Forbes, we are committed to delivering successful results for you. As a former chair and former members of the local grievance committee, we have seen first hand the importance of maintaining an ethical legal practice, whether assisting clients with estate planning, personal injury, probate, or business law.

We represent estate planning, probate, and business clients in Texas and in New Mexico’s Dona Ana County, Otero County, and Lincoln County, including Las Cruces, Deming, Cloudcroft, Carrizozo, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, and Roswell. To schedule a consultation with our El Paso probate lawyer or business attorney today, please call our law offices at (915) 533-5441 or contact us online.

As an attorney, I believe it is my ethical obligation to meet with every potential client face to face. If they came to me for help, it is the least I can do to make time to sit down with them to discuss their concerns.

Stewart Forbes, Senior Partner