Regardless of your situation, our experienced attorneys will give you piece of mind in knowing that your estate is properly prepared to achieve your goals.
We have extensive experience in planning estates for both wealthy individuals and ordinary folks.
Our aim is to provide estate planning services that help individuals and business owners protect what they have, and pass it on to their children and others, according to our client’s wishes. We help clients develop a customized plan (and related documents) to control what they have for as long as they want, make it go to whom they want, when they want, but at the least overall tax and costs. Our services include both initial plan design/implementation, plus regular up-dating of the plan documents.
Our philosophy is that we never simply plug names into a word processor to churn out form documents. No two situations are alike. Accordingly, we give our clients thoughtful, individualized planning rather than a stack of paper. We advise clients in all stations of life.
Our approach is to conduct estate planning in four stages:
- Meet with client to review and discuss client’s assets, desires, possible structures and documents, and estate and income tax implications.
- Prepare legal documents designed specifically to meet the client objectives, and furnish those documents for client review and comment.
- Meet with client to review, finalize, and sign documents.
- Prepare, sign, and file appropriate documents to re-title or transfer assets, change beneficiary designations, and implement estate plan.
We believe that no family, regardless of wealth or circumstances, should be without an estate plan. Because life can hold unforeseen events, including death and incapacity, an estate plan is essential to ensuring that your wishes are carried out in the event the unexpected becomes reality. Additionally, all good emergency preparedness plans should include an estate planning component. There is no person too young or too old to benefit from our expertise.
We do not focus our attention on “selling” our clients a specific document package (e.g., Will vs. Trust). Rather, we focus on our client’s objectives, using all legal tools and documents available to carry out those objectives. For some, a simple Will may be all that is needed to properly transfer assets at death. Many, however, will require additional estate planning documents or devices to achieve their goals.
We refrain from using scare tactics (such as the need to avoid probate) to frighten clients. We trust that our clients already understand that the ‘do-nothing’ approach is fraught with peril. That’s why they come to us. We respect that decision, and won’t talk down to you.
We understand the ins and outs of federal estate and gift tax. Our obsession is to minimize or eliminate estate/gift tax for each of our estate planning clients.
We provide a full range of estate planning services, including the following services, documents, and estate planning options:
- Revocable Living Trusts
- Irrevocable Trusts
- Life Insurance Trusts
- Dynasty Trusts
- Special Needs Trusts (for disabled persons)
- Wills
- Estate and Gift Tax Reduction Strategies
- Business Succession Planning
- Buy-Sell Agreements For Businesses
- Healthcare Powers Of Attorney (a/k/a Living Will)
- Advance Directives To Physicians
- Asset Protection Planning
- Beneficiary Designations For Pensions, 401(k)s, and IRAs
- Guardianships/Conservatorships
- Correcting Outdated Wills And Trusts
- Durable Powers Of Attorney
- Living Wills
- Trusts For Minors
- Pre-Nuptial Agreements
- Updating Wills And Trusts
- Wealth Management Planning
- Elder Protective Services
- Private Foundations