Advanced Paralegal Course
Wills, Trusts and Estates
45 hours
Description
The Wills, Trusts, and Estates Advanced Paralegal Course uses articles, cases,
and examples to describe a paralegal's role in the administration of wills,
trusts, and estates. This course will prepare paralegals to assist attorneys as
they plan estates, explain rights, draft wills, set up trusts, appoint personal
representatives, probate wills, file estate taxes, and represent clients in
probate court. The text that accompanies this course is written in a style that
is easy to understand, with legal jargon and unnecessary verbiage avoided.
State-by-state information is presented clearly with the use of maps, tables,
and case studies. Charts and boxed cases help to make complex topics easier to
understand.
Tuition includes textbook, Protrain’s exclusive Study Guide and access to the
Online Student Center. 12 month access.
Outline
Lesson 1: Estate Planning Fundamentals
Textbook: Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, third edition, by
Gordon Brown, J. D., West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2003, ISBN:
0-7668-5251-4
A.
Chapter 1
Describes the benefits of having a will; shows the risks in writing one’s
own
will; explains the implications of dying without a will
B.
Chapter 2
Explains the purpose of estate planning; describes the members of the estate
planning team; lists the four categories of facts the must be gathered in the
estate planning process; identifies the principal tools available to the estate
planner; describes some postmortem estate planning devices
Examination
Lesson 2: Property Rights and Intestacy
Textbook: Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, third edition, by
Gordon Brown, J. D., West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2003, ISBN:
0-7668-5251-4
A.
Chapter 3
Describes the “bundle of rights” concept of property; defines probate property;
distinguishes between real property and personal property; describes the
different kids of non-probate property
B.
Chapter 4
Contrasts the law that governs the passing of real property with the law that
governs the passing of personal property when some dies intestate; describes
when property passes according to the law of intestate succession; states the
share that a surviving spouse inherits under this law; identifies other people
who will inherit under this law; shows the disposition of property owned by
people who die intestate survived by no spouse or ascertainable kindred
Examination
Lesson 3: Wills
Textbook: Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, third edition, by
Gordon Brown, J. D., West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2003, ISBN:
0-7668-5251-4
A.
Chapter 5
Describes the legal requirements for executing a will; explains the methods of
changing and revoking wills; identifies possible ground for contesting a will
B.
Chapter 6
Discusses the guidelines for drafting a will; identifies the opening paragraphs
of a will; explains the main paragraphs of a will; describes the fiduciary and
tax provisions of a will; identifies the ending paragraphs of a will; explains
letters of instruction
C.
Chapter 7
Explains the laws that have been enacted for the protection of family members;
distinguishes between lapsed legacies and ademption.
Examination
Lesson 4: Trusts
Textbook: Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, third edition, by
Gordon Brown, J. D., West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2003, ISBN:
0-7668-5251-4
A.
Chapter 8
Defines a trust; names the parties to a trust; compares the methods of creating
a trust; describes the different kinds of express and implied trusts
B.
Chapter 9
Describes a Totten trust; shows when to use a spendthrift trust and when to use
a sprinkler trust; compares assorted marital deduction trusts and the use of
each; describe several types of charitable trusts and the use of each; explains
the use of life insurance trust as a way to save taxes
Examination
Lesson 5: Will Administration
Textbook: Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, third edition, by
Gordon Brown, J. D., West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2003, ISBN:
0-7668-5251-4
A.
Chapter 10
Shows the courts that have jurisdiction in the field of probate law; identifies
the office that is responsible for the care and custody of probate records;
describes uniform laws that deal with probate law
B.
Chapter 11
Explains who, in a given case, should petition the court for appointment as a
personal representative; lists the duties of a personal representative;
distinguishes among the titles of personal representatives and shows when each
is used; explains the reasons for the removal of a personal representative
C.
Chapter 12
Explains why probate is needed in particular cases; outlines the steps necessary
when formal probate proceedings are undertaken; lists the steps that are used
for informal probate proceedings; explains the procedures when ancillary
administration is undertaken
Examination
Lesson 6: Death and Taxes
Textbook: Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, third edition, by
Gordon Brown, J. D., West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2003, ISBN:
0-7668-5251-4
A.
Chapter 13
Explains the initial steps that must be taken by a personal representative with
regard to the decedent’s taxes; identifies the outcome that must be included in
the decedent’s final income tax return and fiduciary income tax return; explains
the occasion, due date, and form used for filing a federal estate income tax
return; differentiates between gross estate and taxable estate; shows how to
compute a hypothetical estate tax
B.
Chapter 14
Summarizes the law as it applies to the right to refuse medical treatment;
describes the types of advance directives; explains the methods of making
anatomical gifts; shows who has the right to possession of the decedent’s body
and the duty of burial
Examination
Computer Requirements
Students will need to have access to an IBM compatible PC with the following
minimum requirements to complete BCI's Allied Health programs:
• Pentium 100 or higher processor
• Microsoft Windows® 98, Windows® 98 Second Edition, Windows®
Millennium Edition, Windows® NT 4 with Service Pack 6 or later or
Windows® 2000 Professional or later operating system
• 24MB RAM (Windows® 98/Windows® 98 Second Edition);
• 32MB RAM (Windows®/Me/Windows® NT 4.0);
• 64MB RAM (Windows® 2000 Professional)
• Plus an additional 8MB for each application running simultaneously
• 100MB available hard disk space minimum
• 2x CD-ROM drive or higher
• 16-Bit Sound card or higher
• Standard USB port
• Speakers connected to your sound card
• Microsoft® mouse or other compatible pointing device
• Printer
• Audio Cassette Player (Allied Health Courses)
Protrain Online Student Center Technology Requirements
In addition to the above requirements, we recommend the following computer
equipment for use with our Online Student Center:
• Pentium-II Class or higher processor
• 56.6 Kbps Modem or faster
• 64 MB RAM or greater
• 50-100 MB free hard disk space
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0+, Netscape Navigator 6.0+ or equivalent, or
America Online 7.0+
• An active account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Course Materials
Textbook:
Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates,
third edition, by Gordon Brown, J. D., West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar
Learning), 2003, ISBN: 0-7668-5251-4
We offer free registration in our
Delivering courses electronically allows you maximum flexibility when accessing
and completing your career program. You can choose to read lessons on-screen,
download the study guide for later use, or print out your own hard copy
immediately. In the
Our study guides are set up in an easy-to-use PDF format, which allow
graphically sophisticated screen displays to be viewed in large format. In
addition, you have resources such as online testing with instantaneous results;
access to student records, payment history and grade history; chat and
discussion boards; online student support; and web resources.