1. Welcome & Overview

 This video introduces the course, explains what will be covered, and offers tips on how to use all the materials in the course to gain the maximum benefit for your estate administration practice.

2. Probate Forms

To open any probate estate in Pennsylvania, you must have a Petition for Grant of Letters and an Estate Information Sheet. Learn how to prepare both of these vital documents accurately each time. This video lays out what information you need to gather before you start, and shows you how to fill in each line. Don't have the forms? The video shows you where to find the right versions online. For the novice, there is a section on how to know whether to ask for "letters testamentary" or "letters of administration." The video even tells you what you need to know about letters of administration "c.t.a.," "d.b.n.," "pendente lite," and other mystifying Latin terms. It's everything you need to know to get these two forms ready to take to the Register of Wills.   

3. Obtain EIN Number, Part One: SS-4 Form

Learn my recommended way to obtain an EIN number for an estate. Spend a few minutes filling out an SS-4 Form, and fax it to the IRS. This video covers why this is the best method, and walks you through where to find the form; how to prepopulate it with your contact information; what lines you really need to complete (despite what the IRS says); how to complete the form correctly; and where to keep your forms for easy access in the future. The video introduces you to my SSS-4 Guide, which you will use to help you complete the form in the future, now that you know how.  

4. Obtain EIN Number, Part Two: IRS Online

Use your SS-4 Form to obtain an EIN number online, without having to wait for days to have the IRS fax you the number. This video shows you how to use the IRS' online EIN Assistant and gives you the tips you need to get a successful result more often than not. When you need an EIN number right away, this is the way to go.   

5. Advertise Estate

Pennsylvania law requires advertising of the estate immediately after it is opened. This video starts with the technical requirements of estate advertising, and the information you need to gather before you start. We then go online to show you how to find the right publications to advertise in for your county, and where to find the forms. The video then walks you through an example of completing a form, explaining terms like "late of," and shows you what an online form looks like. 

6. Rule 10.5 Notices & Certification

This video looks at the key issues raised by Orphans' Court Rule 10.5 including: Who must get notice of the probate estate? How do you describe each person's beneficial interest? When must you notify the Attorney General? It then shows you on the screen how to complete the Rule 10.5 notice, and also the certification required by Rule 10.5(d). If you have no estate administration software containing the right forms, the video shows where to find them online. 

7. Request to Commonwealth for Medicaid Claim

Pennsylvania law requires you to find out, in every case, whether the decedent received medical assistance (Medicaid) services with the five years preceding death. If so, you must give notice to the Department of Human Services requesting a statement of claim. This video explains the details of when and how to request a claim, and shows you how to complete the form letter included in your materials. It also includes tips on how to document the gross value of the estate for purposes of the request letter, and what you need to know if you're unfamiliar with Medicaid planning. 

8. Date of Death Balance Letters

This video explains how to obtain documentation from financial institutions of the information needed to prepare such items as an inventory, inheritance tax return, and federal estate tax return. It shows you various ways to find the correct address to mail to, and gives the details on how to complete the downloadable authorization and letter forms that come with the course.  

9. Estate Settlement Agreement

Many, perhaps most, estates settle by means of an agreement between the executor/administrator and the beneficiaries, rather than going through an Orphans' Court audit. This video explains the component parts of an estate settlement agreement, such as a schedule of distribution and a receipt, release, and indemnification agreement to be signed by beneficiaries. It then shows how the component parts come together in the final agreement, and goes into a detailed example of how an estate settlement agreement is completed.

10. BONUS #1: Probate & 10.5 Forms in Lackner

Since many Pennsylvania practitioners use the popular Lackner estate administration software, we added this bonus video to show how to complete the two main probate forms (Petition for Grant of Letters and Estate Information Sheet), Rule 10.5 notice to beneficiaries, and Rule 10.5(d) certification form in the Lackner program. Once you have seen how the software works, you can then use the downloadable Lackner Guides that come with the course for step-by-step reminders on how to complete the forms. Even someone with no experience using the software will be able to complete these four forms accurately and easily. If you're not yet a user, watch the video to see how using a good software program can make your practice easier and more efficient. 

11. BONUS #2: Delegation Versus Abdication

How do you delegate effectively to support staff in a way that gives you confidence about the end result? Learn some simple but powerful methods for building systems to improve your practice, distilled from my experience working with a business coach. By working on your law practice instead of in your practice, you can create a "franchise prototype" set of operating procedures that produce high quality, consistent results with less effort on your part. 

Date of Death Balance Letter – Use this form to obtain documentation from financial institutions of the information needed to prepare such items as an inventory, inheritance tax return, and federal estate tax return.

Authorization – Use this form to create an authorization your client will sign to allow you to get information, such as date of death balances from financial institutions. 

Estate Settlement Agreement – Use this form to prepare an Estate Settlement Agreement as an alternative to going through a formal Orphans' Court audit. 

Schedule of Distribution – Use this form near the end of the estate administration process to show the current balance in the estate, funds expected to be received, and items that still need to be paid before the estate closes. You will then incorporate it into the Estate Settlement Agreement.  

Receipt, Release and Indemnification Agreement – Use this form to prepare an agreement to be signed by all beneficiaries to acknowledge receipt of their distribution from the estate and to release the executor/administrator and legal counsel from liability for not going through a formal audit. This form will also become an exhibit to the Estate Settlement Agreement.  

Medicaid Claim Request Letter – Use this form to request a claim from the Commonwealth of medical assistance (Medicaid) costs incurred by the decedent.

Checklists – Used to gather all the information needed to prepare probate forms; advertise an estate; prepare Rule 10.5 notices and certification; prepare letters requesting date-of-death balances of estate assets; and prepare an estate settlement agreement.

SS-4 Guide – Once you have watched the video lesson on preparing an IRS Form SS-4, use this guide as a reminder of what information to place on the various lines when you prepare the form. 

Lackner Probate Forms Quick Guide – Once you have watched the video lesson on preparing probate forms in Lackner, use this guide the next time you prepare the Petition for Grant of Letters and the Estate Information Sheet. Simply follow the steps in the guide.  

Lackner Rule 10.5 Quick Guide – Once you have watched the video lesson on preparing the Rule 10.5 notices and certification in Lackner, use this guide the next time you prepare those documents. Simply follow the steps in the guide.  

Pennsylvania County Codes – This list is a reference of all the numerical codes for the counties in Pennsylvania. It is used by the Register of Wills and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue in assigning file numbers to probated estates.