Our wills and estate planning practice focuses on estate administration and settlement, the creation and development of comprehensive estate plans, and competency and guardianship matters. Our attorneys are experienced in estate and gift tax planning, as well as in establishing wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.
Wills
We have helped countless clients in the drafting of wills that unequivocally illustrate their end-of-life expectations. In some cases, the last will and testament constitutes a person's entire estate plan. While we always advise our clients on additional tools that can help to better ensure that their wishes are accommodated, we understand that some people may initially limit their plans to a will.
Our attorneys will walk you through all of the issues that may need to be considered at the end of your life, including provisions for your medical directive or living will, charitable gifts and special instructions for your funeral or burial, among others. We will create a document that uses clear language and leaves no room for interpretation. If a dispute arises over any portion of the will, we are prepared to represent your estate in court to see that your wishes are honored.
Trusts
Trusts are important estate planning tools that can be used to hold property for a beneficiary to be distributed at a later time. There can be a number of advantages to using trusts as part of a larger estate plan, including tax benefits and maintaining privacy for yourself and your beneficiaries.
Our attorneys have extensive experience in drafting and administering all types of trusts including the following:
- Revocable trusts
- Irrevocable trusts
- Charitable trusts
- Special-needs trusts
- Education trusts
- Insurance trusts
- Spendthrift trusts
- Asset protection trusts
- Miller trusts
Advanced Healthcare Directives
An advance healthcare directive, also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, medical directive or advance decision, is a legal document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity. In the U.S. it has a legal status in itself, whereas in some countries it is legally persuasive without being a legal document.
A living will is one form of advance directive, leaving instructions for treatment. Another form is a specific type of power of attorney or health care proxy, in which the person authorizes someone (an agent) to make decisions on their behalf when they are incapacitated. We encourage our clients to complete both documents to provide comprehensive guidance regarding their care, although they may be combined into a single form.