Baltimore Estate and Trust Litigation Attorneys

Lawyers for Probate and Fiduciary Litigation in Baltimore, MD

Whether dealing with a sudden death or a last-minute and unexpected change, disputes over estates and trusts can spring up suddenly. They often occur during times that are profoundly emotional for all parties. Understanding how to resolve these issues is not always easy, which is why representation from a skilled and experienced attorney can be essential in these situations.

Led by Partner Edward P. Parent, the fiduciary litigation practice at Silverman Thompson is one of the foremost in Maryland, with experience handling multiple types of disputes over estates and trusts. Mr. Parent and his team have extensive experience guiding clients through this overwhelming and confusing process with ease.

Mr. Parent has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and other peer-reviewed publications for his extensive trial, appellate, and arbitration experience. What sets him apart from his peers is his client-attested communication, empathy, and human approach to estate, trust, probate, and fiduciary cases.

This unique blend of experience provides our clients with innovative, strategic approaches and solutions to the legal, factual, and emotional complexities of these matters. Many estate and trust practitioners turn to Mr. Parent to assist with litigation matters and help their clients work through disputes. In addition, Mr. Parent regularly consults with estate planning attorneys regarding best practices on issues involving estate and trust planning and administration.

Types of Fiduciary Disputes

Our team can assist with:

• Will contests, known as caveat proceedings
• Petitions to remove a personal representative of an estate
• Filing and arguing exceptions to an estate's accounting
• Petitions for a will construction or interpretation
• Challenges to a person's legal capacity to execute a will or similar documents
• Disputes among beneficiaries of an estate or trust
• Petitions seeking judicial assumption of jurisdiction over a trust
• Disputes related to an agent's conduct under a power of attorney document
• Contested guardianship proceedings
• Claims arising out of the Maryland SAFE Act
• Life insurance disputes, including interpleader actions

Examples of Our Successes in Estate and Trust Litigation

• Our team represented a family who were victims of life insurance fraud involving losses of $15 million.
• Mr. Parent provided representation for John Angelos, the CEO of the Baltimore Orioles, in litigation related to the assets of Peter G. Angelos. The case addressed succession plans and control over the professional team.
• We provided representation for two beneficiaries in a dispute involving trusts in multiple states. Our team helped our clients resolve the case in a way that provided them with an equal share of all of the trusts in question.
• In an interpleader action, we successfully defended the named beneficiary of two life insurance policies with a combined death benefit of $1.9 million against allegations of incapacity and undue influence, settling the case with the opposing party for over 90% of the death benefit (pre-litigation offer was $85,000).
• Our team has also secured favorable settlements in interpleader actions involving disputes over life insurance proceeds while helping clients avoid prolonged litigation.
• Mr. Parent led the successful defense of three separate actions related to a decedent's will and revocable trust, including allegations of wrongdoing alleged individually against the personal representative/trustee. Mr. Parent obtained full dismissals of all three actions without any consideration being paid to the opposing party, and without any finding of wrongdoing.
• We secured a settlement worth six figures for an estate's personal representative in a case involving allegations of breaches of fiduciary duty.
• We represented the beneficiary of an estate that was worth more than $10 million. Our client was accused of undue influence when obtaining her share of the estate's assets and non-probate assets. We contested these allegations and were able to help our client to retain possession of a meaningful share of the estate's assets and the non-probate assets that she had previously received.
• We secured summary judgment in a caveat proceeding after proving that the decedent's signature on her alleged will was forged. Then, after being retained by the decedent's estate, we brought a claim under Maryland's SAFE Act alleging financial exploitation against the offending party, who also procured a legally invalid financial power of attorney over the decedent, resulting in a separate six-figure settlement with the decedent's estate.
• We represented the estate of a person who owned commercial property, defending against a claim that would have enforced an agreement that provided a purchase option. We were able to settle the dispute in a manner that was favorable to the beneficiaries and the estate as a whole.
• We have successfully handled numerous judicial probate hearings and defeated attempts to admit to probate alleged wills that did not satisfy the requirements under Maryland law.

Contact Our Baltimore Probate and Trust Litigation Lawyers

When you have become involved in a dispute related to a will, trust, estate, or other related concerns, you will need to make sure you have representation from a lawyer with experience handling these issues. At Silverman Thompson, we can help you resolve disputes successfully while protecting your interests. Contact our Baltimore, MD trust and estate litigation attorneys at 410-385-2225 to set up a consultation.