Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning

Wills, Living Wills, Health Care Proxies

Kimberly M. Wells, Attorneys at Law assists clients in preparing for the distribution of their assets and the dictation of specific requests for when they are no longer able to voice them themselves. While your will manages the distribution of assets through an estate, the lesser-known "living will" and "health care proxy" are equally important in the planning process. To summarize briefly, a living allows you to reduce your wishes to an enforceable document with respect to decisions regarding resuscitation, mechanical respiration, tube feeding, etc. A health care proxy is an individual you will assign to make health care decisions for you should you become incapacitated. Our attorneys can prepare a full coverage package for one up-front price.

Trusts

In certain situations it is more beneficial to create a trust rather than relying on a will alone. A trust is a right to property held for someone's benefit and managed by a trustee. The usual reason for the creation of a trust is to control the beneficiary's immediate access to assets to ensure funds will be available for an extended period of time. Trusts can ease the estate tax burden, avoid the probate process, and provide added flexibility to the estate-planning client.

Probate

The probate process can be long, complex and rife with complicated forms and procedural rules. For this reason many estate executors opt to hire an attorney to assist with the probate process. This attorney represents the estate itself, and acts to ensure that the wishes of the decedent are appropriately carried out.