Navigating the Process with Clarity and Care
Compassionate guidance to settle estates efficiently, minimize conflict, and ease your burden.
If you’re here because a loved one has passed away, I want to first say: I’m sorry for your loss. Grief is difficult enough on its own — and dealing with court filings, deadlines, and financial matters can feel overwhelming.
That’s where I step in. My role is to simplify the probate or trust administration process so your family can focus on healing, not paperwork.
Why Families Often Try to Avoid Probate
Probate isn’t always bad, but it can be:
Expensive – Court costs, attorney’s fees, and bond premiums can add up to thousands of dollars.
Time-Consuming – In Maryland, probate often takes 9–18 months or longer for larger estates.
Stressful – Family disagreements can easily spill over into litigation.
The good news? Smart estate planning can minimize or even avoid probate altogether.
What About Trust Administration?
If your loved one created a trust, probate may not be necessary. But that doesn’t mean nothing needs to be done. Trusts must still be:
Reviewed and interpreted according to their terms.
Properly funded (assets retitled into the trust’s name).
- Managed by the successor trustee, who has legal responsibilities to the beneficiaries.
Many families are surprised to learn that trusts need ongoing administration — and if assets were never transferred into the trust, probate may still be required.
What Is Probate in Maryland?
Probate is a court-supervised process that:
Proves the validity of a will (if there is one).
Appoints a Personal Representative (also known as the Executor).
Requires an inventory of all assets.
Ensures debts, taxes, and expenses are paid.
Distributes the estate according to the will — or Maryland law, if there is no will.
If someone dies owning assets in their sole name, those assets generally must go through probate in Maryland.
Frequently Asked Questions (Maryland)
It’s true that estate planning doesn’t benefit you directly after you pass away. But it can make an enormous difference for the people you leave behind.
A thoughtful estate plan is often described as a final gift to your family. It gives them clear instructions, authority to act, and an organized roadmap at a time when they may already be dealing with grief and stress. Without a plan, loved ones may spend months trying to locate accounts, understand financial arrangements, and navigate court procedures.
Estate planning also helps ensure that property is not lost or overlooked. Every year, millions of dollars end up with state unclaimed property divisions because financial accounts, insurance benefits, or other assets were never properly identified or claimed. A clear estate plan helps prevent that by identifying assets and directing how they should be handled.
Another important point is that estate planning is not only about what happens after death. A well-designed plan also addresses what happens if you are alive but unable to make your own decisions due to illness or injury. Documents such as powers of attorney and healthcare directives allow trusted individuals to manage financial matters and work with doctors on your behalf if you cannot do so yourself.
In short, estate planning is less about preparing for death and more about making things easier for the people who matter most to you.
Many people assume that estate planning will be a long and complicated process. In reality, it is often much simpler than people expect.
At the Law Office of Donny Knepper, the process is designed to be efficient and respectful of how busy families are—especially parents juggling work, school schedules, sports, and everything else that comes with family life.
The process typically works in three steps:
1. Complete a short planning questionnaire.
Before our meeting, clients complete a planning worksheet that gathers basic information about family members, assets, and the people they trust to serve in important roles such as guardians, trustees, and agents. This allows us to understand your situation in advance so we can use our time together effectively.
2. Design your plan together.
Once the questionnaire is complete, we meet—either in person or by Zoom—to design your estate plan. In many cases, the key decisions can be discussed and organized in about 90 minutes.
3. Review and sign your documents.
After your documents are prepared, we schedule a signing meeting where everything is reviewed and finalized.
Donny is a fellow parent and understands how busy family life can be. For that reason, meetings can often be scheduled outside of traditional business hours, and virtual meetings are available for convenience.
In short, getting an estate plan in place is usually far less burdensome than people imagine, and it is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your family.
People are often surprised to learn that once the initial information is gathered, designing an estate plan can move fairly quickly. Many families are able to make the key decisions during a single planning meeting. The timeline for completing the documents depends on the complexity of the plan, but the most time-consuming part for most clients is simply gathering their information.
If someone dies without an estate plan, state law determines who receives their property and who has authority to manage the estate. That process may not reflect what the person would have wanted, and it can create additional stress and uncertainty for family members.
Estate planning allows you to make those decisions yourself rather than leaving them to default legal rules.
Most parents think they’ve handled this issue simply by telling relatives what they would want. Unfortunately, that is not how the law works.
Imagine a situation where both parents are unexpectedly unable to return home—perhaps due to a serious accident. The children are at home with a babysitter. As the hours pass and the parents cannot be reached, the babysitter eventually calls for help.
From a legal standpoint, the babysitter does not have custodial authority over the children. When police arrive and confirm that the parents cannot be located or are unable to care for the children, officers may have little choice but to involve Child Protective Services. At that point, the children may be taken into temporary protective custody until the situation can be sorted out.
Yes. When parents have young children, estate planning becomes especially important because the plan must address both who will care for the children and how financial resources will be managed for their benefit.
One of the most important decisions parents make is naming guardians. Most parents focus on who would raise their children if both parents pass away, but a well-designed plan also considers short-term guardians who could step in immediately if something unexpected happens and parents are temporarily unavailable.
In addition to naming guardians, parents should ensure that the necessary legal documents are in place so that trusted individuals can care for their children if needed. These documents can allow guardians to make decisions related to medical care, schooling, and other important matters while the parents are unavailable.
Parents should also carefully consider how and when money will be distributed to their children. Instead of leaving assets directly to children, many families use trusts so that funds can be managed responsibly and used for the children’s health, education, and general support. Trusts can also delay large distributions until children reach ages where they are more financially mature.
A thoughtful estate plan allows parents to make these decisions in advance so that, if the unexpected occurs, their children are cared for by trusted people and supported with the resources they need.
An estate plan is a set of legal documents that explains how your financial affairs and personal matters should be handled if you become incapacitated or after your death. A comprehensive estate plan typically includes a will, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and sometimes a trust. Together, these documents help ensure that your wishes are followed and that your loved ones have clear guidance during difficult times.
No. A will does not avoid probate. In fact, a will is the document that guides the probate court in distributing your assets.
Probate is the legal process through which a court oversees the administration of an estate. In some cases, probate can be relatively straightforward, but it still requires court involvement. Certain planning strategies, such as using a revocable living trust or proper beneficiary designations, can help reduce or simplify probate.
A will is just one part of an estate plan. A will allows you to name who will receive your assets after your death, appoint a personal representative to handle your estate, and designate guardians for minor children.
An estate plan is broader. It also includes documents that address what happens while you are alive but unable to make decisions, such as financial powers of attorney and healthcare directives. Many estate plans also use trusts to help simplify the transfer of assets.
A trust is a legal arrangement in which one person (the trustee) manages assets for the benefit of another person (the beneficiary).
Many people use revocable living trusts as part of their estate plan because they can:
• Simplify the transfer of assets after death
• Provide ongoing management of assets for children or other beneficiaries
• Allow assets to be distributed over time rather than all at once
Trusts are not only for wealthy families. In many situations, they are simply a practical way to organize and manage assets.
Your estate includes everything you own at the time of your death. This can include:
• Your home or other real estate
• Bank and investment accounts
• Retirement accounts
• Personal belongings such as vehicles, jewelry, and furniture
• Life insurance benefits
• Business interests
• Digital assets such as online accounts or cryptocurrency
Your estate also includes any debts or obligations that must be settled before assets are distributed.
If someone dies without a will, state law determines how their property is distributed. This is called intestate succession.
In Maryland, the law generally directs assets to a person’s closest relatives, such as a spouse or children. However, the results may not match what the person would have chosen if they had created a plan. Without clear instructions, the process can also become more complicated for family members.
Yes. Estate planning is not just for people with large estates. Even families with modest assets benefit from having clear instructions in place.
For many people, the most important reasons for estate planning include:
• Naming guardians for minor children
• Making it easier for family members to handle financial matters
• Planning for medical decisions if you become incapacitated
• Ensuring assets pass to the people you choose
Estate planning is primarily about control and clarity, not wealth.
A comprehensive estate plan addresses not only what happens after death but also what happens during your lifetime if you become incapacitated.
Two key documents help address this situation:
Durable Power of Attorney
Allows someone you trust to manage financial matters on your behalf.
Healthcare Directive or Healthcare Power of Attorney
Allows someone to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to communicate with your doctors.
Without these documents, family members may need to go to court to obtain authority to make decisions.
Once someone turns 18, they are legally responsible for their own financial and medical decisions. At that point, it is wise to have at least basic estate planning documents in place, particularly healthcare and financial powers of attorney.
As people marry, have children, buy homes, and accumulate assets, their estate plans can be expanded and updated to reflect those changes.
Estate plans should be reviewed periodically and updated when major life events occur, such as:
• Marriage or divorce
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Significant changes in assets
• Death of a person named in your plan
• Moving to a different state
Even without major life changes, it is generally wise to review your plan every few years.
The first step is identifying your goals and gathering basic information about your assets and family members. An experienced estate planning attorney can then help you determine what documents and strategies are appropriate for your situation.
The goal is not simply to create documents, but to develop a plan that protects your family and reflects your wishes.
How I Help
I provide:
Step-by-step guidance through the probate process.
Support for trustees handling trust administration.
Advice on reducing stress, costs, and potential conflict.
- Compassionate counsel so you’re not navigating this alone.
Your Next Step
Whether you’re facing probate or trust administration, you don’t have to carry the burden alone.
We’ll discuss your situation, answer your questions, and outline your next best steps
with no pressure and no jargon.
