Maryland Estate Planning Attorneys

Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A.

Clock Tower Place
1410 Forest Drive, Suite 32
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
USA

(410) 881-0355 or (888) 325_5704

(410) 269-5126

www.merrillaw.com

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Law Firm Overview

The Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A. can help you in achieving your goals by bringing a team of people together to help you make your plans today in protecting your personal and business assets. We offer clients effective and efficient solutions for their estate planning, estate, probate and gift tax, and business law matters.

We develop long-term relationships with our clients. A lot of our clients are families in which we assist second- and third-generation family members. We understand that when you are creating an estate plan or planning for the future of your family business, you are sharing a very important part of your life with us, and we value that relationship. We may speak with a business owner on a daily basis or we may see an estate planning client every few years to review their planning and to update wills, trusts and other estate planning documents when appropriate. Regardless of the time you spend with us, we value the decision you have made to consult us about your personal and business matters.

At Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, we offer extensive legal experience with the personal, hands-on attention of a small firm. Our lawyers will work with you to seek a positive resolution for your legal matter. We are responsive and attentive. We will keep you up-to-date on all of the latest developments in your matter.

Practice Areas

Probate
Will

Additional Practice Areas: Gifting & Irrevocable Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, Advanced Medical Directives, Asset Protection, Tax Preparation, Estate Taxes, Gift Taxes, Fiduciary Taxes, Generation Skipping Taxes, Final Income Tax Returns, Letters of Intent, Requests for Proposal, License Agreements, Leases, Business Dissolution, Merger and Succession

Practice Areas Description

- Estate Planning

You've always taken care of the needs of your loved ones. You've made sacrifices and hard decisions that put their best interests in mind. But what if you were no longer able to make those decisions? At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we understand that we live in an uncertain world, and that it is always best to prepare for the unexpected. We help people with all aspects of estate planning, and work to give our clients the assurance that their loved ones will be taken care of no matter what happens. Trusts can be used to help preserve and protect assets for family members. Whether you are concerned about the management of funds for young beneficiaries, beneficiaries with special needs or beneficiaries who are going through a difficult divorce, drug or alcohol addiction or creditor problem we will talk to you about those issues and draft a trust to meet those concerns.

- Wills and Revocable Trusts

Wills and trusts are important documents that help one person transfer wealth and assets to another. The key difference between the two is that wills are subject to probate, while trusts are not. At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we have a comprehensive understanding of estate law in regard to wills and trusts. We will put our skill and experience to work for you, to help you ensure that your loved ones are taken care of far into the future.

- Gifting and Irrevocable Trusts

Federal estate taxes today are as high as 45 percent. State estate taxes can also apply. When it comes time for you to transfer your wealth to your loved ones, do you really want Uncle Sam to get nearly half? At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we help people avoid these high taxes by helping them plan gifts and establish irrevocable trusts. We know how to use the law to make sure more of your money goes where you want it to.

- Powers of Attorney, Living Wills and Advanced Medical Directives

Powers of Attorney, Medical Directives and Living Wills give you control over what happens to you when you are no longer able to make decisions for yourself. A Power of Attorney can be put into place in which you name a person or persons to act on your behalf in financial matters. An Advanced Medical Directives serves as a “power of attorney” for health care because you name a health care agent to make your medical decisions when you can no longer do so and also give end of life instructions for your agent and doctors to follow. Some clients also prefer to have a more detailed health care power of attorney and a separate Living Will. At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we are knowledgeable about each of these directives and adept at helping our clients create and draft the necessary documents. We can help you maintain control over an uncertain future.

- Probate and Trust Administration

Probate is a complex process by which the estate of a deceased person is administered and distributed to his or her heirs. Trusts require administration as well, presenting trustees and beneficiaries with numerous duties. At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we understand the intricacies involved with making a person's final wishes come to fruition. If you are struggling with these issues, we are here for you.

- Tax Preparation (Estate, Gift and Fiduciary)

Detailed estate planning can easily be compromised by the government taking a hefty chunk out of the pockets of the beneficiaries. At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we understand how to handle tax matters in regard to estate, gift and fiduciary taxes in ways that save beneficiaries significant amounts of money. Your loved one wanted to pass wealth to you, not Uncle Sam. We will work to ensure that your loved one's wishes are met.

- Business Law

At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, we are committed to providing clients with practical, cost-effective advice designed to add value to our clients' businesses. We are innovative and responsive in providing solutions that meet our business clients' needs, but we are also analytical and careful in providing solutions.

- Business Formation

The most important stage of any business is, perhaps, its formation. As a business owner, the decisions you make about business entity selection and formation will affect operations, budgeting, taxation issues and other business elements for the life of your business. At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we have the knowledge of business law as well as valuable corporate experience — from the inside — to provide our clients with exemplary business law representation.

- Business Operations

In most businesses, the margin between profit and loss is thin, and success may hinge on the smallest legal details. At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we understand the importance of planning, preparing and identifying potential opportunities and liabilities in successful business operations. We can assist you to help make daily operations run more smoothly so that your business can grow.

- Business Dissolution, Merger and Succession

If you are facing business dissolution, merger or succession, you may encounter many legal hurdles. We have the experience to advise you on the steps necessary to accomplish these business transitions. At the Law Offices of Merrill, Cruttenden & Collinson, P.A., we counsel and advise on opportunities and issues, as well as the steps to be taken.