Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning

A well-crafted will or estate plan is your assurance that your property and possessions will be passed on to those whom you choose and that the taxes and costs associated with your death will be minimized. Even a well-designed estate plan can flounder due to inadequate administration or unfamiliarity with the process. Although most people only need simple wills, some problems in estate planning can be daunting and complex.

Whatever your needs are, our attorneys are highly experienced and will work closely with you and your family to insure that you successfully navigate through the complex probate administration and tax compliance requirements and offer solutions that will best protect your estate for the benefit of those you care about.

A good will or estate plan also keeps the process of settling your estate as simple and efficient as possible. At Lanham Blackwell, we offer a full range of estate planning and probate services to help you achieve your estate planning goals while minimizing taxes. We can recommend and implement a variety of estate planning techniques and services, from a simple will or low-cost will “package” to complex tax shelters and trusts.

Our services include:

• The basic will “package” (a simple, economical way of obtaining the four most basic estate planning protection documents: a simple will, memorandum of distribution,power-of-attorney and an advance health care directive),
• Drafting of financial and health care powers-of-attorney,
• Preparation of documents for management and disposition of real estate and other assets,
• Utililization of techniques to minimize personal and estate taxes,
• Assistance from experienced mediation and litigation personnel, available in the event of challenges to a will or disputes between heirs or beneficiaries,
• Preparation of trusts for special needs, minor care, care of surviving spouses, for the care of pets, paying for educational expenses, gifts to charities and for a wide variety of other needs and purposes,
• Preparation of family limited partnerships,
• Preparation of petitions for guardianship and conservatorship.