Legal Assistant Life Insurance

BETH M. GARNER

**********@*****.***

BROOKLYN, NY

Trust & Estates, Private clients, Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Self-motivated paralegal providing quality service & high value results, with extensive complex estate administration experience from initialization of the estate to the final distribution, including fiduciary accounting and trust administration. Compassionate and effective with clients.

EXPERIENCE:

MOSES & SINGER LLP 1-4/2020 (furloughed due to COVID-19 quarantine)

Legal Assistant, Trust & Estates

Probate:

●Prepared & handled probate and administration filing of petitions, ancillary documents, pleadings, & accountings

●Extensive oral & written communication & instruction with Executors/Administrators

Estate & Trust administration:

●Reviewed & interpreted wills and trust agreements: implemented estate planning, funding of trusts, & distributions

●Performed basic research of estates, trusts & probate law & rules

●Marshalled, organized and analyzed assets: Obtained & reviewed decedents’ financial records & income tax returns; identified information gaps & obtained records; verified date of death holdings: cash & investment accounts, tangible & real property; obtained date of death & alternate valuation date values; maintained estate & trust records, account registers, bank & brokerage account statements; paid bills and debts

●Drafted affidavits and extensive correspondence

●Tracked & maintained calendar & deadlines, including tax deadlines, tracked estate status

●Worked closely with clients, beneficiaries, court personnel, financial institutions, & investigators

Tax:

●Obtained, reviewed & maintained records & information for federal & state estate, gift & fiduciary income tax returns (Forms 706, 709 & 1041); Prepared information for audits and reviews

●Prepared federal, Connecticut and New York State estate tax returns and related forms

SCHIFF HARDIN LLP (formerly MAZUR CARP & RUBIN P. C.) 6/10-12/19

Paralegal, Trust & Estates

Probate:

●Reviewed & interpreted wills and trust instruments

●Performed basic estate, trust research using a variety of print & online resources

●Prepared & filed probate and administration petitions, all ancillary documents required for probate

●Drafted receipt & release agreements, disclaimers, affidavits

●Extensive oral & written communication & instruction with Executors

Estate & Trust administration:

●Marshalled assets: Verified date of death holdings; cash & investment accounts, tangible & real property; obtained date of death & alternate valuation date values; transferred assets to estate or trust accounts, handled real property transfers

●Prepared & filed life insurance, pension & other death benefit claims: obtain Form 712

●Drafted letters of instruction, disclaimers & extensive correspondence

●Communicated with beneficiaries, court personnel, bank officers, brokers, investigators, state & federal officials

●Prepared & maintained estate & trust accountings, prepared formal & informal estate and trust accountings

●Maintained estate & trust account checkbook registers & bank records, paid bills & debts

●Computed and disbursed beneficiary distributions, computed & paid executor & trustee commissions

Tax:

●Obtained, organized, reviewed & maintained records & information for federal & state estate, gift & fiduciary income tax returns (Forms 706, 709 & 1041); gathered & organized information for audits & reviews, obtained releases of estate tax liens

●Prepared federal & New York State estate tax returns and related forms

WOLF HALDENSTEIN ADLER FREEMAN & HERZ, LLP 9/06-6/09

Legal Assistant, Trust & Estates

Probate:

●Reviewed & prepared will abstracts; prepared & filed petitions & ancillary documents; drafted heirship & Putnam affidavits; obtained Letters Testamentary & of Trusteeship; Prepared & filed small estate affidavits & administration petitions; engaged in extensive oral & written communication & instruction with Executors

Estate & Trust administration:

●Obtained, organized, & reviewed decedents’ financial records & income tax returns; verified date of death holdings: obtained date of death & alternate valuation date values; marshaled assets: opened estate & trust accounts; maintained estate & trust records

●Filed life insurance, pension & other death benefit claims: obtained Form 712’s

●Drafted affidavits, letters of instruction, receipts & releases & extensive correspondence; coordinated distributions to beneficiaries & transfers of assets into trusts

●Communicated with beneficiaries, court personnel, bank officers, brokers, investigators, & state & federal officials

Tax:

●Obtained, organized, reviewed & maintained records & information for federal & state estate, gift & fiduciary income tax returns (Forms 706, 709 & 1041); gathered & organized information for audits & reviews

●Filed & tracked tax returns for multiple jurisdictions

KRASS, SNOW & SCHMUTTER, P. C. 7/05-6/06

Legal Assistant, Trust & Estates Group

Probate: Handled all aspects of drafting, preparation & filing of petitions & ancillary documents

Estate administration:

●Obtained, organized, & reviewed decedents’ financial records & income tax returns; verified date of death holdings: bank & investment accounts, tangible & real property; marshalled assets & obtained date of death & alternate valuation date values; maintained estate records

●Filed life insurance, pension & other death benefit claims; obtained Form 712’s

●Drafted affidavits, letters of instruction, & extensive correspondence; communicated with executors, beneficiaries, court personnel, bank officers, & brokers

Tax:

●Obtained, organized, reviewed & maintained records & information for federal & state estate & fiduciary income tax returns

●Drafted federal & state estate tax returns (Forms 706 & ET-706)

PECK & HELLER 7/04-7/05

Paralegal

Probate: Handled all aspects of preparation & filing of petitions & ancillary documents

Estate administration:

●Obtained, organized, & reviewed decedents’ financial records; verified date of death holdings; obtained date of death & alternate valuation date values; maintained estate records, bank & brokerage account statements

Tax:

●Obtained, reviewed & maintained records for federal & state estate tax returns; gathered & organized information for audits & reviews

KELLEY DRYE & WARREN LLP 9/00-11/03

Legal Assistant, Private Clients Group

Probate: Handled all aspects of preparation & filing of petitions & ancillary documents

Estate & Trust administration:

●Obtained & reviewed decedents’ financial records & tax returns; verified date of death holdings: bank & investment accounts, tangible & real property; obtained date of death & alternate valuation date values; marshalled assets: opened estate accounts; maintained estate & trust records, & bank & brokerage account statements;

●Filed life insurance & other death benefit claims; obtained Form 712’s

●Obtained EINs for estates & trusts; maintained log of EINs

●Drafted affidavits, letters of instruction & extensive correspondence; communicated with executors, beneficiaries, court personnel, bank officers, brokers, investigators, state & federal officials

●Prepared & entered data for trust & estate accountings; prepared Trustee & Executor commission calculations

Tax:

●Obtained, reviewed, organized & maintained records & information for federal & state estate, gift (Form 709) & fiduciary income tax returns(Form 1041); gathered & organized information for audits & reviews

K&L GATES LLP (formerly KIRKPATRICK & LOCKHART LLP) 5/96-8/00

Legal Assistant, Trusts & Estates

Probate: Handled all aspects of preparation & filing of petitions & ancillary documents

Estate & Trust administration:

●Obtained, reviewed & organized decedents’ financial records; verified date of death holdings; obtained date of death & alternate valuation date values

●Obtained EINs for estates & trusts: maintained log of EINs

●Maintained & organized records & account statements for estates & trusts

Tax:

●Obtained, reviewed, and maintained records & information for federal & state estate tax returns

●Filed & tracked tax returns for multiple jurisdictions

●Maintained & updated tax form files & publications

EDUCATION:

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, Brooklyn, NY, ABA approved Paralegal Studies certificate program

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, Albany, NY, Studies in Studio Art & French Civilization

COMPUTER SKILLS:

Outlook, Word, Excel, ProSystems FX, HotDocs NYSBA Surrogate’s court forms, OneSource Trust & Estate Accounting program (formerly FPS), EVP Estate Val, Adobe Acrobat Pro

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