Estate Administration Attorney Serving South Florida
Losing someone you love and then being handed the job of settling their entire estate is an unfair combination, and most people are asked to do it while they are still grieving and without ever having done it before. Whether you were named personal representative in a will or appointed as successor trustee, the job comes with real deadlines and real legal responsibility attached to it.
Barash-Schatten Law Firm, P.A. represents personal representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in estate and trust administration, and attorney Pamela Schatten works directly with you from the first filing through the final distribution.
Why the Right Attorney Makes the Difference
A personal representative who pays the wrong creditor first, misses the notice to creditors deadline, or distributes assets before valid claims are resolved can end up personally responsible for the shortfall, even when the mistake was an honest one. Family disputes over an estate also tend to surface fastest when no one is managing the process transparently, and a homestead property or a jointly titled account can raise questions that are not obvious to a first-time personal representative until they become a real problem.
An attorney who administers estates regularly catches these issues before they cost you money or strain your family relationships further.
How We Help With Estate Administration
We handle the court filings needed to open an estate, whether that means a formal administration or, for smaller estates, the faster summary administration process, and we manage the notice to creditors and the claims that follow so you are not guessing about what is owed and to whom. For trusts, we guide successor trustees through the same core responsibilities, inventory, accounting, and distribution, without the added step of formal probate.
Throughout the process, we keep beneficiaries informed on your behalf, which is often what prevents a disagreement from turning into a dispute, and we handle the final accounting and distribution so you can close out the estate with confidence that you did it correctly.
Why Clients Choose Pamela Schatten
Ms. Schatten is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, a distinction based on peer review of both legal ability and ethical standards, and her focus within the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar means estate administration is a core part of her practice, not an occasional matter. Clients consistently describe her as thorough and conscientious, qualities that matter most when you are relying on someone else to catch the details you would not know to look for on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving as a personal representative or trustee for the first time can raise questions.
Here are a few potential questions in handling an estate.
What Working With Our Firm Looks Like
We take on the deadlines, the filings, and the correspondence with creditors and beneficiaries, so you can focus on your family instead of a stack of court forms. Our office typically responds to calls and emails within a couple of hours, and you work directly with Ms. Schatten throughout the administration rather than a changing point of contact.
If a question comes up that was never addressed in the will or trust itself, we tell you plainly what your options are and what a court would likely expect, rather than leaving you to guess or assume the safest choice on your own.
If you have been named personal representative or trustee, or you are a beneficiary with questions about how an estate is being handled, call Barash-Schatten Law Firm, P.A. at (954) 698-4644 to schedule a consultation at our Hollywood office. You can also reach us through the contact form on our website, and we will help you understand what needs to happen next.
Contact the Firm
Start the conversation.
Tell us briefly what you need and how to reach you. Messages go directly to Pamela Schatten, and you will hear back within a couple of hours at most during the business day.
Office
Barash-Schatten Law
800 E Cypress Creek Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Telephone
Toll free
Areas served
Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Lauderdale by the Sea, Hollywood Beach and Pompano Beach, plus the rest of Broward and Miami-Dade County
Office location, Fort Lauderdale
Please do not include confidential details in this first message. We will arrange a private call.