Estate Planning

Estate Planning is about protecting the people our clients care about the most by avoiding legal issues arising from disability, incapacity or death. Even basic estate planning can provide a great benefit to clients and their families. Planning can eliminate uncertainty and avoid navigating the complex legal system upon a persons’ physical or mental incapacity or death.

By far, the most common mistake people make is failing to make a plan, any plan is better than no plan!

Effective planning requires preparation and execution of specific legal documents to authorize someone to make medical decisions for both physical and mental health care issues; to satisfy financial obligations, such as pay bills and sign documents; and to transfer property to the people and organizations the clients care about most upon their death. Our legal services often include preparation and execution of powers of attorney; living wills; last wills and testament; simple and complex trusts.

We are here for every step of the planning process

Our Estate Planning process centers around the design and implementation of a legal plan tailored to meet the specific/unique needs of our clients. The planning process begins with a conversation. Learning who our clients are helps guide the legal advice and counsel we provide to them. Whether the plan is simple or complex, our objective is always the same – craft a plan suitable for each client’s individual needs. The goal of every plan is to minimize or eliminate the legal risks our clients face when either no plan or an improper plan is done.

We often discuss our clients’ other family members, such as parents, children and even grandchildren. The implementation of an Estate Plan may have some unintended consequences; proper planning will examine these issues to ensure our clients’ best interest are always looked after. Thought needs to be given to protecting minor children, future marriage of a surviving spouse, special needs planning for a disabled child or grandchild, and protection from divorce of a future beneficiary.

Traditional estate planning law firms focus on establishing a “Death Plan” for clients that hopes to avoid probate, save estate taxes, and transfer assets to heirs on a death. We believe that this limited approach to estate planning is no longer viable in today’s complex world.

Estate planning is not simply about passing on material wealth; it is about passing on the family ethics, values and morals – which is communicated to children and grandchildren on how the estate plan is structured.

The analysis of an Estate Plan should take into consideration all the variables of the human experience. No client situation is exactly the same, so no estate plan should be the same. “One Size” does not fit all in Estate Planning.