Estate Planning & Probate Services Offered
ESTATE PLANNING
Our office drafts simple wills, trusts, testamentary trusts, living trusts, bypass trusts, powers of attorney for health care, powers of attorney for property, and living wills.
- Simple will – declares a person’s wishes as to the welfare of his or her children and the distribution of his or her assets after one dies
- Trust – a trust is a legal entity created by a grantor for the benefit of designated beneficiaries under the laws of the current state and the valid trust instrument. A trustee manages the assets in the trust pursuant to the trust agreement.
- Testamentary trusts – a trust created within a will that does not go into effect until the death of the settler. The trust will hold the settlers assets for the benefit of the beneficiary and will be distributed to specific beneficiaries when they meet certain requirements (i.e. certain age)
- Living Trust – A trust created and in effect during the settlor’s lifetime for the benefit of that person or another person. This trust is used to protect assets from going through probate at the time of the settlor’s death.
- Bypass Trust – This is an estate planning tool whereby a deceased spouse’s estate passes to a trust rather than to the surviving spouse. The purpose is to reduce the likelihood that the surviving spouse’s subsequent estate will exceed the estate tax threshold (i.e. type of tax shelter)
- Power of attorney for healthcare – a document that appoints an agent to make healthcare decisions for the person named on the document.
- Power of attorney for property – a document that appoints an agent to take care of a person’s financial affairs if one is unable to make those decisions for due to inavailability or incapacity.
- Living Will – a document that governs the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from an individual in the event of an incurable or irreversible condition that will cause death within a relatively short time and when such person is no longer able to make decisions regarding his or her medical treatment.
PROBATE CASES
My office handles all probate related matters. Probate is the legal process where a deceased person’s estate is administered. My services include organizing and collecting assets on behalf of the heirs or family, drafting all court documents, appearing on behalf of the estate in court, working with the necessary parties to liquidate all assets and pay necessary bills and taxes, assist the family and heirs distribute property to the proper parties.