CLE: Probate For Personal Injury Clients
About The Presenter:
Matthew H. Hinson is a graduate of Davidson College (NC – B.A. Political Science, 2003) and received his J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law (cum laude, 2011). He has been practicing law across the state of Florida since 2011 based out of Northeast Florida. Having handled hundreds of cases in conjunction with other personal injury practitioners, he focuses his practice on the probate and guardianship needs of the personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death legal practitioner. He has experience handling matters in multiple areas of law, including probate administration and litigation, guardianship administration and litigation, personal injury/wrongful death matters, and estate planning (wills, trusts, durable power of attorney, living wills, and designation of pre-need guardians for minors).
Matthew presently serves as a Director of the Jacksonville Justice Association. He has previously co-chaired the Solo/Small Firm Committee of the Jacksonville Bar Association (JBA) for multiple years and remains an active member of the JBA. Outside of the legal community, he has been active in local high school athletics as an assistant track and field coach at The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida),
Matthew and his wife (Casey – UNC Chapel Hill, B.S. Biology, 2003) happily reside together in Northeast Florida where they raise their son and daughter.
The Course:
No matter what industry you serve, setting the proper expectations with your clients is essential to maintaining happy clients and long-lasting relationships. It is also important in protecting the integrity of our profession. When your client dies, or you are dealing with a case involving the death of an individual, it is important that you are able to explain the basics of probate so that your client knows what to expect. As it relates to personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death matters, procedural time frames set out by the legislature and courts will often frustrate a client (especially if they are not already aware of them upfront).
Furthermore, when a minor is involved in a settlement (or judgment), there are procedures and safeguards established that require additional steps by the attorney. Setting the expectations with your client on the timing of these procedures, whether approval is required by a court, and whether the funds will be accessible by the minor’s custodian(s) is important to maintaining trust with your client.
This presentation focuses on the probate and guardianship needs of the personal injury practitioner. We will discuss topics such as:
• When my client dies, what are my ethical obligations, and how do I move forward (when is probate required and who is my client)?
• How does probate work, how long does it take, and what are the procedural steps involved?
• When do I need to seek approval for a settlement where a minor is involved and what are my ethical obligations to the client?
• When will I be required to obtain the appointment of a Guardian Ad Litem?
• What are permissible ways to allocate proceeds of an action to a minor?
If you have questions or inquiries, call today to speak with one of our attorneys about your specific case needs! 904-527-1700
For information about having this CLE presented to your firm or organization free of charge, contact Mr. Hinson of The Hinson Law Firm, P.A..