Trusts, Wills & Estate Planning

Request an Estate Planning Questionnaire

Planning for the future is important. Planning for beyond can be even more vital. Many people often ignore this critical area of legal representation – making sure that the assets they have worked so hard to acquire get distributed according to their wishes upon their death. Even worse, some people take matters into their own hands and create plans with no legal consultation or advice. This often results in making their estate an ugly mess that their heirs and loved ones must untangle, sometimes setting loved ones against one another.

Setting up a plan to distribute your estate is not necessarily complicated, time-consuming or even expensive.

Preparing Your Estate Plans

If you wish to have Mr. Lawler put your Estate Plan together, request his Estate Planning Questionnaire. David will send you pricing information and a link to an online Questionnaire that will guide you through the various decisions to made. Once you’ve completed the online Questionnaire, Mr. Lawler will review it and Schedule the Follow-Up/Intake Interview and advise you accordingly.

Basically, having a Trust package generally allows your heirs to avoid probate and provides for the most flexibility of asset control both during your life as well as after you pass away. You would generally transfer your assets into the Trust now, so that that property is owned by the Trust, with a Trustee (Trust Manager) in control. You also set the rules for how to distribute that property after you die. For a Revocable Living Trust (the most popular type of Trust), you can serve as Trustee. The Trust survives your death, so that your Successor Trustee then manages the Trust after you die and is in charge of carrying out your directions for how to distribute the property owned by the Trust.

There are many types of Trust. Your options will be explained during the Intake Interview. Trusts are more expensive to set up initially than a Basic Will, but when properly set up, the costs after you die are minimal. Likewise, they are more complex to set up, but when you pass away, the heirs do not have to go through the probate process, which can be time-and-money consuming.

A Will, by contrast, is a set of instructions for how to distribute your property after you die. You name an Executor to carry out those instructions. However, as opposed to a Trust, a Will must be probated (put through the Court system after your death) to have any validity. The Court must validate and authenticate the Will and the Executor, then issue an Order empowering the Executor to act on the Estate’s behalf before any Estate Property can be handled. This process can take several months (or longer). Wills are simpler and less expensive to set up at the onset, but can be more expensive in the long run, compared with establishing a Trust.

Both Trust Packages and Will Packages also include General Durable Financial Powers of Attorney and Advance Healthcare Directives.

Wills & Estate Planning Attorney Serving Dacula, Lawrenceville, & the Surrounding Area

Contact the Law Offices of David M. Lawler, Inc. to discuss the facts and circumstances concerning your Estate Planning needs and for an estimate of fees.