Western PA's Premier Estate Administration & Estate Planning Law Firm

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We strive to make the process of estate planning and estate administration as simple and straightforward as possible. At American Wills and Estates we speak to our clients in plain English, and we are sensitive to the fact that many of our clients are still grieving the loss of a loved one. Our number one goal is to put our clients at ease and to reassure them with competency and compassion in their times of need.


7 Compelling Reasons Why You Need a Last Will and Testament

Seven common sense reasons why we should all have a Last Will and Testament. Take a look, I think you'll find these reasons eye opening and pretty compelling.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2016/05/06/snoop-dogg-admits-he-doesnt-have-a-will-7-reasons-he-and-you-should-reconsider/#1f5904cd15ae

Celebrity Probate Fight Drives Home the Need for Proper Estate Planning

Nothing like a good old celebrity probate fight to drive home the importance of having a well drafted estate plan in place. Here's the latest article I came across that demonstrates why money and fame are no substitute for common sense. Take a look.

https://goo.gl/G5D57J

If you, like so many folks we see, have been procrastinating about... Read More

Pittsburgh's Premier Estate Planning and Probate Estate Administration Law Firm

Before you hire another Estate Attorney, make sure you check out our law firm.

At American Wills & Estates we've been representing and assisting clients in Pittsburgh and throughout Western Pennsylvania with competency, compassion and care for over 25 years. So what really sets us apart from the rest?

  • Our practice is focused exclusively... Read More

Not Having an Estate Plan is Not a Good Idea

We hear it every day, "I'm not worried about estate planning, I don't have that much to leave to my children anyway." Don't make that mistake.

Proper estate planning involves much more than simply determining what you're going to leave to your children or other heirs. If you've been procrastinating about putting an estate plan in place, then you... Read More

Estate Planning: 6 Easy Rules to Follow

Estate planning is typically not an activity that people look forward to. After all, none of us really want to think about our own mortality. Nonetheless, it’s an extremely important step that we all need to take in order to protect our surviving family members and loved ones. If you follow and apply these six basic steps, the task of putting an... Read More

Pittsburgh Probate

What To Expect From a Probate Estate Administration Law Firm

The Probate process is initiated by obtaining either Letters Testamentary (if there is a Will) or Letters of Administration (if the Decedent died without having made a Will).

This is the beginning of a process that often includes interconnected layers of complexity that require legal professionals who specialize in Probate Estate Administration—... Read More

Estate Planning Pittsburgh

Stop Overcomplicating Your Estate Planning Needs

Overcomplicating your estate planning or not doing any estate planning at all are both bad ideas. All too often in our law practice we encounter the situation where a loved one has passed away and the children or other heirs discover that the individual had no Will, Trust or estate plan of any kind in place. The number one cause of this is, pure and... Read More

PROBATE: DON'T GO IT ALONE

Have you recently found yourself tasked with having to handle the probate estate administration of a loved one's estate? Not sure how to proceed or where to turn for trusted legal advice? The law firm of American Wills & Estates has been assisting clients throughout Western Pennsylvania through the often emotional and stressful probate process for... Read More

Estate Planning

Is it Time for Your Estate Planning Checkup?

So you've already done your estate planning and you're now good to go, right? Wrong. Even if you already have Wills, Power of Attorneys, Living Wills or even a Trust in place, don't just put everything aside and forget about it.

Like everything in life, changes happen. Because of that, we tell all of our clients that it's a very good idea to take... Read More

Will Lawyers and Will Attorneys

Should You Have a No-Contest Clause in Your Last Will and Testament?

If you're concerned that one or more of your children or other intended heirs might try to challenge the provisions that you have set forth in your Last Will and Testament, you can have a no-contest clause added in the Will, but make sure you understand what it means and whether or not it's actually enforceable. Here's an article that I came across that... Read More

Ensure Your Executor’s Success

March 24, 2017 by Lloyd A. Welling, Esq.

Typically and as part of your overall Pennsylvania estate plan, you will create a Last Will and Testament in which you will be naming and designating an Executor/Executrix to managing your affairs and oversee the probate process following your death. Obviously, this is an extremely important role and... Read More

Executor Mistakes

Probate Mistakes - What Not to Do if You're an Executor

Serving as the Executor of a loved one's estate is a great honor, but it's also a serious obligation and undertaking. Sometimes, mistakes can be made that will turn the job into a real nightmare.

Here's an interesting article that I came across in the Wall Street Journal that does a nice job of highlighting some of the big mistakes that every... Read More

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Pittsburgh Probate Estate Administration and Estate Planning Lawyers