Who Matthew Carucci Helps
Matthew Carucci is a Delaware attorney whose practice focuses on probate and estate administration, adult guardianship, and estate planning.
He works with people who need to take legal responsibility for an estate, obtain authority to act for another adult, or make legal arrangements for their own property and affairs in advance.
Many of Matt’s clients are dealing with a legal process for the first time. They may know what needs to be accomplished without knowing which legal process applies, what authority they have, or what steps Delaware law requires.
This page identifies the types of clients and situations at the center of Matt’s practice.
You Are Responsible for a Delaware Estate
Matt represents executors, administrators, and family members responsible for administering Delaware estates.
A client may have been named executor in a will, may need to become administrator of an estate, or may simply be the family member who has taken responsibility for figuring out what needs to happen after a death.
Matt helps these clients understand:
- How the estate should be opened.
- What authority the executor or administrator has.
- What responsibilities come with administering the estate.
- What probate filings are required.
- How estate property must be addressed.
- What needs to happen before the administration can be completed.
The central feature of these matters is that the client is responsible for getting the estate handled.
You Were Named Executor but Have Never Handled an Estate Before
Executors are often family members or trusted individuals rather than people with previous probate experience.
Being named executor does not mean a person already knows how Delaware estate administration works.
Matt helps first-time executors understand what their role requires and what steps need to happen as the estate moves through probate.
That includes explaining the legal process in plain language and helping the executor distinguish immediate responsibilities from issues that can be addressed later in the administration.
You Need to Become Administrator of an Estate
Not every estate has an acting executor.
When no executor is available to serve, another person may need legal authority to administer the estate.
Matt works with people who need to determine how an administrator can be appointed and what responsibilities follow once that authority has been established.
Executor and administrator are different routes into the role, but both involve responsibility for carrying out the administration of the estate.
You Live Outside Delaware but Are Responsible for a Delaware Estate
A probate client does not necessarily need to live in Delaware.
Matt has represented people who live outside the state but are responsible for estates that must be administered under Delaware law.
This commonly creates a distinction between two locations:
- The client may live in another state.
- The estate itself is a Delaware legal matter.
An executor, administrator, or family member living elsewhere may therefore still need a Delaware attorney to help administer the estate.
You Need Adult Guardianship for a Parent or Another Adult
Matt represents clients in Delaware adult guardianship matters.
These cases commonly arise when a parent or another adult family member needs someone with legally recognized authority to handle certain personal, financial, or other important responsibilities.
A family may already be helping the person informally but reach a point where legal authority is required.
Matt helps clients understand:
- Whether adult guardianship may be appropriate.
- How a guardianship proceeding begins.
- What documentation or evidence may be required.
- Who may serve as guardian.
- What authority the guardian may receive.
- The difference between guardianship of the person and guardianship of the property.
Matt’s guardianship practice focuses on adults rather than custody or guardianship of minors.
You Need to Know Whether a Power of Attorney Is Enough
A family considering guardianship may already have a power of attorney or another legal arrangement in place.
Power of attorney and guardianship are not the same.
The practical question is whether the authority that already exists is sufficient for the decisions or responsibilities that need to be handled.
Matt works with clients who need to understand what authority is currently available and whether an adult guardianship proceeding is necessary to establish additional authority.
Your Family Disagrees About Adult Guardianship
Family members do not always agree about whether an adult needs a guardian or who should serve.
Those disagreements may become part of the guardianship proceeding.
Matt handles adult guardianship matters in which family disagreement is one of the circumstances surrounding the case.
The legal question remains whether guardianship is appropriate, what authority is necessary, and who should be appointed to carry it out.
You Need to Create a Will
Matt helps Delaware clients create wills as part of their estate planning.
A will may address who should receive property, who should serve as executor, and how certain parts of the estate should be handled after death.
Matt works with people creating a will for the first time as well as clients whose existing will no longer reflects their intentions.
You Want to Establish a Trust
Matt also works with clients considering trusts.
Some want greater control over how property will be held or transferred. Others are specifically interested in reducing the amount of property that may eventually need to pass through probate.
A trust is not automatically the right estate-planning tool for every person.
Matt helps clients consider how a trust would fit with their property, beneficiaries, existing documents, and broader estate plan.
You Want to Reduce Future Probate
Matt works with both current probate clients and people planning ahead to reduce future probate complications.
A person may want to understand:
- Which assets are likely to require probate.
- Whether a trust may change that result.
- How beneficiary or ownership arrangements affect estate administration.
- What can be done now to make the eventual administration of the estate easier.
Estate planning does not necessarily eliminate probate entirely, but it can create a clearer structure for the people who will eventually be responsible for the estate.
Matt helps clients consider those future administrative consequences while creating the plan.
You Need to Update an Existing Estate Plan
An estate plan can become outdated as a person’s family, property, relationships, or intentions change.
Matt helps clients update wills, trusts, and related arrangements when the existing documents no longer accomplish what the client wants.
Common reasons for reviewing an estate plan include:
- Changing beneficiaries.
- Changing the person selected to serve as executor.
- Acquiring or selling important property.
- Changes in family circumstances.
- Reconsidering whether a trust is appropriate.
- Changing how the plan is intended to affect future probate.
The key question is whether the existing plan still reflects the person’s current wishes and circumstances.
The Three Main Types of Matters Matt Handles
Most matters at the center of Matt’s practice fall into three broad categories.
Probate and Estate Administration
The client is responsible for administering a Delaware estate and needs help carrying out that responsibility.
Adult Guardianship
The client needs to establish legal authority to act for another adult through a Delaware guardianship proceeding.
Estate Planning
The client wants to create or update a will, trust, or other legal arrangement before a future estate or incapacity issue arises.
Probate Administration and Estate Disputes Are Different
Not every legal problem involving an estate falls within the same type of probate practice.
Matt’s probate work is principally centered on helping the person responsible for administering the estate .
That includes executors, administrators, and family members who need to get the estate opened, understand their responsibilities, and move the administration forward.
A beneficiary who primarily wants to sue an executor, challenge another family member, or pursue a contested claim presents a different type of legal matter.
Family members can disagree with one another without there necessarily being a viable legal claim.
When the main objective is handling the estate properly, Matt’s probate-administration practice may be a strong fit.
When the principal objective is contested estate litigation, representation specifically focused on that dispute may be more appropriate.
Matters Outside the Main Focus of Matt’s Practice
Matt’s practice is focused on estates, adult guardianship, and estate planning rather than general legal representation.
Matters outside the principal focus of the practice include:
- Landlord-tenant disputes.
- Real-estate closings.
- Child custody or guardianship of minors.
- Unrelated civil legal matters.
- Estate disputes whose primary purpose is contested litigation rather than administration.
Defining these boundaries helps distinguish Matt’s practice from a general-practice law firm and helps clients identify whether their legal problem matches the work he handles.
How Matt’s Practice Areas Connect
Probate, adult guardianship, and estate planning are different areas of law, but each can involve questions about legal authority and responsibility.
An executor or administrator needs authority to act for an estate.
A guardian receives court-recognized authority to act for another adult.
An estate-planning client can establish certain instructions and forms of authority before they are needed.
Matt’s practice focuses on helping clients identify which legal structure applies and understand the responsibilities that come with it.
A Delaware-Focused Practice
Matt’s office is in Wilmington, Delaware, and his practice focuses on Delaware legal matters.
His probate work includes Delaware estates, including matters in which the responsible executor or family member lives outside the state.
His guardianship work focuses on Delaware adult guardianship proceedings.
His estate-planning work focuses on wills, trusts, and planning under Delaware law.
A Clear and Practical Approach
The people Matt represents are often dealing with legal responsibilities they have never handled before.
His approach is to define the legal problem clearly, explain the process in ordinary language, and make the next steps understandable.
Clients should know:
- What legal process applies.
- What authority exists or needs to be established.
- What responsibilities they have.
- What information or documents are needed.
- What needs to happen next.
The purpose is to give clients enough clarity to handle important decisions without requiring them to become experts in Delaware estate or guardianship law.
Learn More About Matthew Carucci
Matthew Carucci is a Delaware attorney focused on probate and estate administration, adult guardianship, and estate planning.
His practice is designed around people who need to administer an estate, establish legal authority for another adult, or make legal arrangements in advance.
Talk With Matthew Carucci About Your Situation
If your legal matter involves a Delaware estate, adult guardianship, wills, trusts, or estate planning, Matthew Carucci can help identify the legal process involved and explain the next steps.
Contact Matt to discuss the situation and determine whether it falls within his practice.
