Estate Planning | Modern Legal

Get peace of mind with Modern Legal’s estate planning services.

Comprehensive Estate Planning for Lasting Peace of Mind

At Modern Legal, we understand the complexities of estate planning can feel daunting. Our team offers guidance to ensure your wishes are documented and executed. Let our team help provide you with peace of mind and a secure future for your family and heirs after you are gone.

Key Components of a Comprehensive Estate Plan

Have a plan that protects your assets and your legacy.

Asset distribution requires a careful approach – as it is vital to delineate specific beneficiaries for each asset, whether the asset is real estate, investments, or personal property. This process provides clarity and helps prevent potential disputes among heirs.

Additionally, establishing a durable power of attorney and healthcare power of attorney can safeguard one’s wishes regarding financial responsibilities and medical decisions, respectively. We work with you to prioritize these elements to construct a robust estate plan that aligns with your intentions and protects your legacy.

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We navigate the complexities of family law with expertise and compassion, ensuring your rights are protected and your voice is heard throughout every step of your legal journey.

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Estate Planning

We Are Dedicated to Protecting Your Family’s Future

We work tirelessly to secure the best possible outcomes for you and your loved ones, providing legal solutions tailored to your unique family dynamics and long-term goals.

The Modern Legal Attorneys are professionally trained legal thinkers, orators, and negotiators. With this skillset, they help each client navigate the judicial system to utilize the legal tools available for each client’s unique family situation.

Theresa and Deborah are Certified Family Financial Mediators. In this position, the Certified Mediator serves as a neutral third party to help parties develop an amicable resolution of negotiation through the Mediation Process.

Theresa and Deborah are Family Law Arbitrators. In this role, the Arbitrator serves as a neutral third party decision maker to help parties resolve their family law claims without the need of entering a courtroom and avoid the time, expense, and stress of contentious litigation.

Deborah is a uniquely trained Collaborative Law Professional. Collaborative Law is a unique, multi-disciplinary approach to resolve family law matters without court intervention. Each of our attorneys can assist clients that choose the Collaborative Law Process to address their legal needs.

Crafting a Personalized Will

Have you considered the impact a well-crafted Will can have on your estate planning?

Crafting a personalized Will ensures your assets are distributed according to your explicit wishes, respecting your unique end-of-life preferences. Customizing your Will allows you to designate specific beneficiaries, allocate particular assets, and outline distinct conditions for inheritance. This level of detail not only reflects your personal intentions but also mitigates potential disputes among heirs.

A customized Will can address diverse scenarios such as guardianship provisions for minors, charitable bequests, and specific funeral arrangements. Entrusting this task to the experienced attorneys of Modern Legal ensures adherence to legal standards, securing your wishes for the future, and solidifying a legacy that aligns with your values and intentions.

Establishing Trusts to Protect Your Assets

Establishing a trust can create an added layer of asset protection and financial planning.

Trusts are not merely vehicles for asset distribution, they serve as tools in fiduciary management, ensuring that your assets are allocated according to your instructions while offering potential tax benefits and privacy advantages. By setting up a Trust, you can safeguard your estate against creditors and potential legal disputes, providing continuity for your beneficiaries. With proper fiduciary management and estate planning, we can tailor a solution that aligns with your financial objectives and familial needs.

Planning for Incapacity and Healthcare Decisions

An estate plan can ensure clarity in healthcare decisions and personal affairs.

Incapacity planning is vital in safeguarding your preferences if unforeseen circumstances arise. By executing a healthcare power of attorney, you can ensure your wishes are articulated clearly and adhered to by healthcare professionals and loved ones. These directives include living wills, which specify the medical interventions you desire or wish to refuse, and identifying healthcare proxies – a dependable individual to make decisions on your behalf.

Address matters proactively, as incapacity can occur suddenly. While it can feel scary, leaving your intentions unknown without a plan in place can generally lead to more confusion and turmoil than you ever wanted or intended. The estate planning attorneys at Modern Legal empower you to ensure your healthcare preferences are documented and personal affairs are handled according to your desires, thereby alleviating potential burdens on family members during challenging times.

Ready to learn more? Check out these resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Estate planning is the process of organizing your personal, financial, and medical affairs to ensure your wishes are honored during your lifetime and after your death. Whether you have a large estate or modest assets, a well-crafted estate plan can help protect your loved ones, avoid unnecessary taxes, and reduce the burden on your family.

Estate planning involves creating legal documents that outline how your assets, healthcare, and personal matters should be handled if you become incapacitated or pass away.

Estate planning is not about wealth alone. Even with modest assets, a plan helps ensure your property is distributed per your wishes, your voice is preserved in the care of your children, your medical care preferences are memorialized, and much more.

Anyone over 18 should consider having basic estate planning documents such as a healthcare power of attorney, durable power of attorney, and Will. More comprehensive planning is recommended when you own property, get married, have children, start a business, or experience other major life changes. This may include creating a trust as well.

You should review your estate plan every 3–5 years, or after major life events like marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or any significant change in assets or debts.

Your estate will be distributed according to the state’s intestacy laws. The Court will appoint an administrator and will decide who inherits your assets, which can lead to delays and disputes.

An executor is named in a Will to carry out the deceased’s wishes. The executor submits the Will into probate, gathers and develops an inventory of estate assets and their values, pays debts, and distributes assets to designated beneficiaries. The Probate Court remains involved in a supervisory role.

While you can use online tools for basic documents, it is recommended to consult an estate planning attorney to learn about all of your options — especially if your situation involves complex assets, blended families, or special needs planning.

Download Estate Planning FAQ – English Download Estate Planning FAQ – Spanish

What to Know about a General Power of Attorney

The role of a general power of attorney is important for incapacity planning.

A General Power of Attorney is a legal instrument which bestows authority upon a designated individual to act on your behalf in various financial and personal affairs in the event you are unable to do so yourself. This authority is crucial when you face unforeseen circumstances and to ensure your affairs are managed by someone you can rely on. And experienced attorney can help you understand the legal responsibilities involved and bestowed.

Here are just a few situations where a power of attorney is invaluable:

Financial Management: The agent can manage bank accounts, investments, and real estate – maintaining financial stability.
Property Ownership and Management: The designated individual may make decisions regarding the ownership of your property, ensuring that your estate does not fall into financial or legal trouble.
Legal Transactions: They can execute legal documents on your behalf, maintaining continuity in legal affairs.

Modern Legal Attorneys provide Clarity and Peace of Mind

Our team is committed to equipping you with the knowledge and tools necessary to secure your legacy. By crafting a personalized Will, establishing protective trusts, and planning for potential incapacity through healthcare and durable powers of attorney, you can ensure your intentions are clearly articulated and legally sound. Use our experience to safeguard your estate, providing peace of mind for you and your beneficiaries.

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