Kell, Alterman & Runstein, L.L.P. — Versed in Trusts and Estates in Portland, Oregon

Discrete, professional and client-focused trust attorneys

In trust and estate legislation, many matters intersect, and the laws change constantly. All these considerations mean clients must have a team of trust and estate attorneys with the dedication, skills and diplomacy to resolve the most complex matters effectively. Kell, Alterman & Runstein, L.L.P. has offered clients knowledgeable, focused and efficient counsel for more than 80 years.

Areas of trust practice

The firm of Kell, Alterman & Runstein, L.L.P. has a team of trust and estate lawyers who handle the most delicate trust contests for a wide clientele in a variety of practice areas. The firm has extensive experience representing executors, personal trust representatives, beneficiaries of trusts and estates and institutional trustees. Additionally, Kell, Alterman & Runstein, L.L.P. attorneys regularly represent the trust departments of banks and financial institutions. The firm successfully has litigated claims involving:

  • Charitable gifts
  • Removal of fiduciaries
  • The prudent investor rule
  • Attorney and fiduciary fee disputes
  • Determination of — and challenges to — inheritance
  • Lack of mental capacity
  • Fraud, duress and undue influence
  • Breach of fiduciary duty
  • Removal of fiduciaries
  • Spousal rights and elective share proceedings
  • Will and trust interpretation, construction and reformation
  • Disputed claims for and against estates and trusts
  • Actions or citations to recover assets

Oregon laws and loopholes for clients to consider

Trusts and estates involve family relationships, complex receiverships, debts, difficult inheritances and a range of additional disputes. Some of the most difficult proceedings include:

  • Will contests: A will contest is the most frequent proceeding in trust and estate litigation. It is a lawsuit alleging a will is invalid because the signer had inadequate mental capacity or was under the influence of others.
  • Probate processes: Probate requires the appointment of a personal representative or executor to value the assets of the estate, make a reasonably diligent search for creditors and pay allowed claims or taxes. Although generic probate filings can be routine, there are ample opportunities for malpractice.
  • Estate taxes: On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which retains tax exemptions of $5 million, deducts state death tax from the federal taxable estate and increases such allowances as annual marital deductions. Interpreting and adhering to this law and other complicated estate tax statutes requires the assistance of attorneys with extensive, relevant knowledge.

Experienced, innovative and attentive legal counsel

For more than 80 years, Kell, Alterman & Runstein, L.L.P. has provided personalized and effective trust and estate counsel to a diverse clientele in Portland, Oregon, and nationally. We welcome inquiries regarding the firm’s services and offer home/hospital visits and contingency fee payment arrangements. Call 503-360-0554 or contact us online.