The purpose of a “Last Will and Testament” or simply a Will is to clarify your wishes and to tell your family and friends how you want to estate to be dealt with upon your death. A properly drafted Will protects your assets by helping to minimize taxes and ensures that those close to you are adequately taken care of in the future. If you have dependent children, a Will can provide direction to your family, and ultimately the court, with respect to the guardianship of those children and the use of any money you have left in trust for them.

Major changes in your life often mean that changes to your Will are required as well. These changes can include marriage, remarriage, separation, divorce, birth of children, children reaching the age of majority, death or change of a beneficiary, etc.

We encourage you to call our office so that we can assist you with preparing a Will that meets your needs and creates certainty for your loves ones in the event of your death.

A Power of Attorney for Personal Care appoints one or more people to make decisions for you about personal care issues if you become incapacitated. It also contains your instructions about what amount of medical treatment you would like to receive in the event that you are incapacitated and cannot give instructions yourself. For example, you might want all possible medical steps to be taken to keep you alive, or, you might want no extraordinary measures.

We would be happy to meet with you and discuss your needs for a Power of Attorney for Personal Care. We can guide you through the process and help to ensure that your wishes are respected.

A Power of Attorney for Property is similar to the Power of Attorney for Personal Care, in that it appoints one or more people to make decisions on your behalf about property issues. It can contain instructions about how you want real estate or personal property to be managed, and how you want your financial affairs to be handled.

We would be happy to meet with you to discuss your needs for a Power of Attorney for Property. We can guide you through the process and help ensure that your wishes are respected.

The death of a loved one is a very emotional time. Our lawyers and staff are experienced in the compassionate and effective administrations of estates.

Whether the individual passed away with a Will or without a Will (often referred to as “dying intestate”), we will take the time to explain the entire process, and guide the Estate Trustee in administering the estate. We will provide you with guidance on each step, including probating the will, realization of assets, payment of debts, filling of tax returns and division of assets to beneficiaries.

In situations where a Will is contested or a claim is started against an estate, we can provide legal advice and representation as required to protect the legacy your loved one left behind.