Estate Planning · Trusts · Probate
Aldridge Estate Law has guided Connecticut families through wills, trusts, and probate for decades. We bring patience, precision, and genuine care to the most important documents you will ever sign.
Confidential consultations - no obligation, no pressure.
Illustrative instrument
Last Will and Testament
Illustrative only. Not a legal instrument. Concept design for GEO Marketing Group portfolio.
What we do
Four core disciplines, approached as a single integrated plan. Most families find their needs span more than one - because the decisions rarely stand alone.
A carefully crafted will is the cornerstone of any estate plan. We prepare clear, legally sound instruments that reflect your intentions and minimize the risk of future dispute.
Trusts offer privacy, probate avoidance, and a degree of control that a will alone cannot provide. We design trust structures suited to your family, your assets, and your timeline.
The probate process can be complex and time-consuming. We guide executors and administrators through each stage with patience and precision, protecting the estate and its beneficiaries.
Thoughtful planning can preserve a meaningful share of your estate for the people and causes you care about. We align legal structure with tax strategy in close coordination with your accountant.
The firm
Margaret Aldridge opened this firm with a conviction that the families who trust you with their wills and their legacies deserve the same care and rigor that any significant life decision requires.
Today, we remain a small, senior practice by deliberate choice. Every client works directly with an attorney - not a paralegal or a rotating associate - from the first conversation through the final execution of their plan.
Meet the attorneysWe do not plan for the moment. We plan for the decades ahead, and for the generation that follows yours.
Estate documents must withstand time, scrutiny, and the unexpected. Every instrument we prepare is drafted with care and reviewed with rigor.
Estate planning touches the most private dimensions of a family's life. We listen more than we speak, and hold your confidence absolutely.
Sound planning does not happen in isolation. We work in close concert with your financial advisor, CPA, and insurance professional.
The attorneys
A small team by design. No rotating associates, no handoffs to staff. The attorney you meet on day one is the attorney who prepares your documents.
Founding Partner
Founded the firm with a conviction that estate planning deserves the same rigor and care as any significant life decision. Focuses on trust design and complex estates.
Senior Counsel
Brings depth in probate administration and estate matters, helping families navigate difficult transitions with steadiness and clarity.
Estate Planning Counsel
Specializes in trust structuring and charitable giving, with particular attention to blended families and special-needs planning.
Associate Attorney
Works with individuals and couples building first estate plans, and with trustees navigating the ongoing responsibilities of trust administration.
Illustrative attorney profiles for a concept design. Not real attorneys; no Connecticut bar membership implied.
How we work
Estate planning is not a transaction. It is a conversation, a set of decisions, and a set of documents - each step building on the last.
We begin with an unhurried conversation about your family, your assets, and the intentions you want your plan to carry forward.
We present a clear picture of your options - the tradeoffs, the structures, and the implications - so you can decide with confidence.
We prepare every document with precision: wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and directives - reviewed and refined until every word is right.
We guide you through signing and proper execution, ensure assets are titled correctly, and confirm the plan works as intended.
Life changes. We invite you back at the milestones that matter - a marriage, a grandchild, a move - to keep the plan current.
In their words
We came in thinking we needed a simple will. We left with a trust, a plan for our grandchildren, and a clarity about our wishes we had not had in thirty years of marriage.
When my husband passed, I did not know where to begin. The attorneys here walked me through probate step by step, never once making me feel rushed or overwhelmed.
Our estate is not enormous, but it is everything we have built. Knowing it is properly arranged - and that our children will not face a legal ordeal - means the world to us.
Composite, illustrative client voices for a concept brand. Not actual client statements or endorsements.
Resources
Good questions
The questions most families ask first. If yours is not here, the answer is a short phone call away.
Earlier than most people expect. Any adult with meaningful assets, a spouse, or children should have at minimum a will, a durable power of attorney, and a healthcare directive. A significant life change - marriage, a first child, an inheritance, a business sale - is a natural moment to engage us.
A will takes effect at death and passes through probate - a court-supervised process that is public and can take months or years. A trust takes effect immediately upon signing, avoids probate, and remains private. Trusts also allow conditions and timelines for distribution that a will cannot provide.
Not always, but often. It depends on your state, the size and complexity of your estate, your family structure, and your privacy preferences. We help you evaluate whether a trust adds genuine value in your specific situation rather than recommending one by default.
Your estate is distributed according to intestacy law - a fixed statutory formula that does not account for your actual wishes, your family dynamics, or the needs of specific beneficiaries. A court appoints an administrator, and the process can be contentious, public, and costly.
Every three to five years as a baseline, and promptly after any significant life event: a marriage or divorce, a birth or adoption, a death in the family, a move to a new state, or a material change in assets. Tax law changes can also affect the optimal structure of your plan.
The first consultation is unhurried, confidential, and without obligation - a chance to understand your situation and to see whether we are the right fit for your family.