Handling a Basic Probate 2026

  • Webcast seminar
  • OnDemand seminar
  • Estate Planning and Probate Law
  • New Lawyer
Up to 6.0 Credit Hours
View schedule and faculty
Handling a Basic Probate 2026

Endorsed by the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Wisconsin

Become a probate problem solver

What looks like a straightforward probate matter can still go sideways quickly. A missed notice, an incomplete inventory, or a filing that doesn’t line up with the estate’s tax obligations can create delays, extra costs, and unhappy clients. Whether you’re new to probate work, returning to it, or looking to add estate administration to your practice, you need a clear process for moving a matter from intake to closing without second-guessing every step.

Handling a Basic Probate gives you a practical framework for guiding clients through one of life’s most challenging times. You’ll see how early decisions affect everything that follows, from opening the estate to creditor issues, tax filings, final accounting, and distribution.

8:30 am
Deciding on the Procedure/The Initial Interview and Gathering of Information

Thomas Vercauteren

  • Client conference checklist
  • Summary procedures
  • Choosing formal or informal procedures
  • Transferring net-probate assets
9:30 am
Initiation of the Estate

Jessica E. Slavin

  • Filing the petition/application
  • Notice requirements – who needs to know
  • Preparing a budget
  • Marshaling assets and preparing an inventory
10:10 am
Break
10:25 am
Claims Against the Estate

Delaney B. Agnew, Michael Bezoian

  • Requirements for a claim/giving notice to known creditors
  • Procedures for contest
  • Priority in an insolvent estate
  • Marital property issues
10:55 am
Estate Tax Returns

Delaney B. Agnew, Michael Bezoian

  • What assets to include and how to value them
  • Allowable deductions
  • Required attachments
  • Filing thresholds
11:55 am
Lunch (on your own)
1:00 pm
Income Tax Considerations

Thomas Vercauteren

  • Decedent’s final return
  • Fiduciary income tax returns
  • Interplay with death tax
2:00 pm
Final Accounting, Distribution and Closing the Estate

Jessica E. Slavin

  • Final accounting valuations
  • Alternate methods for closing an administration
  • Timing of distributions
  • Handling distributions to minors and trusts
  • Filing the Statement to Close/Final judgment
2:50 pm
Program Concludes
Delaney B. Agnew
Hurley Burish, S.C. · Madison
Michael Bezoian
DeWitt LLP · Madison
Jessica E. Slavin
Pines Bach LLP · Madison
Thomas Vercauteren
Boardman & Clark LLP · Madison

Sponsored by

Interested in sponsoring this program? Find out more.

  • Build confidence in taking on probate matters as part of a broader practice
  • Reduce avoidable errors that can delay administration, increase costs, or expose the estate to disputes
  • Make cleaner procedural calls based on an estate’s facts, assets, and complexity level
  • Draft and file probate documents with greater accuracy and less backtracking
  • Spot tax and creditor issues early, before they become costly problems
  • Improve client services by following a clear process from initial meeting through closing
  • Lawyers looking to add probate to their practice
  • Probate, estate planning, and trust lawyers seeking a refresher
  • Young Lawyers Division members
  • New lawyers

YLD Discount!

Young Lawyers Division members receive a $20 discount on tuition.* Discount applied automatically upon log-in.

*Young Lawyers Division Members are State Bar member attorneys 36 years of age or younger, or within five years of admission to the State Bar of Wisconsin. If you’ve opted out of YLD, you will not receive this discount. The $20 discount only applies to in-person, live webcast, and webcast replay versions of this seminar – not CLE OnDemand.. YLD members with Ultimate Passes, other CLE passes, or PINNACLE discounts are not eligible for this discount.

Book Bonus!

Wisconsin Probate System: Forms and Procedures Handbook
Save 15% on Wisconsin Probate System: Forms and Procedures Handbook.* Discover a straightforward approach to probate practice along with the forms, letters, checklists, and other tools you need to probate an estate successfully. Use discount code CA3965 when you order online or by calling (800) 728-7788.

*Discount applies to both print and digital Books Unbound editions of this title and cannot be applied to previous purchases. Offer valid through 12/31/27. For Books Unbound users, discount may be applied to purchase of individual Books Unbound title only and may not be used on the purchase of libraries. Discount cannot be combined with any other offers.

BYP

The Build Your Practice Series from State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE® introduces you to the fundamentals of various practice areas. Gain the tools and information you need to develop a new area of practice and expand your firm's offerings. Build Your Practice Series programs are endorsed by the State Bar's Young Lawyers Division.