While no one wants to think about death, our lawyers and staff will work with you with care and sensitivity to plan for your family’s future. With careful thought, taxes may be minimized, and your estate may be protected so that your spouse and your children will enjoy what you worked so hard to achieve. There are also important decisions to be made about your life. Who will take care of your property if you are unable to? Who will make medical decisions for you? Who will make sure that you are allowed to pass with dignity? We will be happy to work with you to design a plan that is best for your life, and best for your family after you pass away. Our estate plan package includes your will, a Florida Durable Family Power of Attorney, a Florida Health Care Directive, and a “Living Will”. Our services are described below. If your loved one has passed away, we can assist your family with probate and making sure your loved one’s last wishes are carried out. Please contact us for a personalized consultation on your unique situation.
WILLS
A Will sets out how you want your property to be given to your spouse, children, grandchildren and others. You may also make special gifts to your favorite charity, make your funeral wishes known, set up a trust to assure the education and other needs for your children and grandchildren, and provide for a guardian for your minor children.
Give your family the peace of mind of a well-planned Will. If you do not have a Will, your property may not be distributed to your spouse and children or other heirs as you wished and your special wishes may not be known. Please contact us for more information.
Because of accidents, aging or dementia, people sometimes cannot take care of their own finances. A Florida Durable Family Power of Attorney lets you chose who will take care of your business, write your checks, pay your bills and sell your property if you cannot do this any more. Make sure that your finances are handled the way you want them handled by selecting the person or persons to perform these duties. Please contact us for more information.
Hospitals and doctors will need permission to carry out medical treatment. If you cannot give consent or decide about medical treatment, a Health Care Declaration will express your wishes about who should make these critical medical conditions for you. Please contact us for more information.
At the end of life, and there is no reasonable medical probability of improvement, your family is faced with the critical and painful decision of determining when to end medical treatment. If you feel it is appropriate, a “Living Will” states your intention that those medical treatments should end. This document will be recognized by your doctor and hospital, and will give your family comfort that your last moments of life are as you decided. Please contact us for more information.
People are concerned that probate will be complicated, expensive and time consuming. Probate is simply the legal proceeding to determine how your assets are distributed at your death. Probate may occur whether or not you have a Will. In many cases, probate is not even needed. In other cases, simplified probate procedures will streamline the process. In all cases, our lawyers and staff will work with your family to determine if probated is necessary, and if necessary to select the best way to carryout the last wishes and gifts of the deceased. Please contact us for more information.
