Full-Service Estate Planning | You Need More Than Just A Will
Too many people think that all they need is a will to protect their property in the future and make things easier for their families after they pass on. A will is certainly an excellent start in building an estate plan, but there are many other legal tools that can benefit people and their families.
At Hathaway Sprague Law, P.A., attorney Kathryn Hathaway provides real-world legal advice to help make her clients’ lives easier. For more than 30 years, Ms. Hathaway has made complex, intimidating legal matters more approachable for clients throughout the Florida Panhandle region. Having confidence in your and your family’s long-term security is more important in estate planning than in perhaps any other area of the law. She believes that you deserve experienced legal help to protect your hard-earned success and provide for your family.
Estate Planning: More Than Dividing Your Property
As the foundation of a comprehensive estate plan, a will is a necessary way to tell your family – and, when the time comes, a probate court – how you want your assets divided following death. Even having a simple will can prevent uncertainty when the time comes to distribute your property, or worse, family disagreements over what to do.
Although wills must still go through the probate process to make sure that assets are divided properly, having a will can make the process much easier. Ms. Hathaway assists with probate administration as well as advance estate planning.
In addition to a will, Ms. Hathaway is a Tallahassee estate planning attorney who will review many other options that can help you better designate your wishes for not only your property, but also your health care priorities in the event of a sudden illness or incapacitation. For example:
- Durable power of attorney
- Determining whether a life estate deed would benefit your family and help avoid probate altogether (special care is required here to avoid creating more problems than you solve)
- A designation of medical surrogate, advance health care directive or living will tells your family and medical providers which treatments you do and do not want in the event you cannot make decisions for yourself, and/or designates someone to make health care-related decisions for you
- A testamentary trust for dependents can allow you to provide financially for your children and/or grandchildren
- A special needs trust can allow you to provide financially for any loved one with long-term medical needs following your death
While not every person needs the same set of legal documents, Ms. Hathaway gives clients as much information as possible so they can make the best decision for themselves and their loved ones.
Ready To Discuss Your Estate Plan? Contact Our Firm Today.
To arrange a confidential consultation with an experienced estate planning lawyer, contact Hathaway Sprague Law, P.A. Call 850-391-2884 or send an email through this website.