A good estate plan provides clear instructions for the future, protects the people you care about, and helps avoid unnecessary taxes, expenses, delays, and disputes. It should reflect your family, assets, business interests, and goals—not simply provide a standard set of documents.
I help individuals, families, and business owners create estate plans tailored to their circumstances. A plan may include wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, beneficiary planning, tax planning, and business succession strategies.
Estate planning is not only about what happens after death. A comprehensive plan also identifies who can manage your financial affairs and make health care decisions if you become unable to act for yourself.
Planning in advance allows you to make those decisions on your own terms. It can also make the administration of your estate easier for your family and reduce the likelihood of uncertainty or conflict later.
Estate planning laws are complex and nuanced, and there may be important issues you do not know to anticipate. Without careful legal guidance, mistakes can undermine the plan you worked to create and result in your assets being handled in ways you never intended. Working with a lawyer also gives you the benefit of an ongoing relationship with someone who understands your family, your assets, and your goals. When circumstances change or an urgent issue arises, that familiarity can make it much easier to respond quickly and effectively.
Estate planning costs vary based on the complexity of your family, assets, tax considerations, and goals. Fees may include the initial planning and preparation of documents, implementation work such as trust funding or beneficiary changes, and future maintenance as your circumstances or the law change. We discuss anticipated costs with you before work begins so you can make informed decisions about your plan.
Whether you are just beginning to build your estate or whether you want to protect the wealth you have amassed over a lifetime or more, we can help. Check out our question-and-answer page for more information.