Services

Focus

I find that helping families with effective Estate Planning is truly rewarding as the practice combines my legal training with my personal values.  Estate Planning is more than writing a will and a power of attorney.  The process ensures that my clients are in control of how their assets are transferred and according to their values.  I am constantly updating and refining my documents as I receive the latest legislative and rule changes through my involvement with Professional groups of other Estate Planning Lawyers, Financial Planners, and Certified Public Accountants.

Basic Estate Planning

Simple will
Provide instructions on who you want to serve as guardian of your children and your executor of your estate.  The will also provides instructions as to who will receive your property.

Powers of Attorney
A general or durable power of attorney allows your agent or attorney-in-fact act in your place and make financial decisions for you.

Advanced Directive
A medical power of attorney naming an agent to make medical decisions for you in the event that you are unable to do so. Usually combined with a “Living Will” that outlines your wishes for life sustaining measures in certain defined end of life conditions.

Beneficiary Designation Insure that your retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and payable on death accounts go to the intended recipients.

Property Deeds The wording on the legal deed affects how your property is treated upon death.  The deed should be reviewed as part of the estate planning process. Often the deed can be changed to avoid subjecting your house to the probate process.

Intermediate Estate Planning

Trusts for children
Usually setup as part of your will to provide management for the assets left for your childrens’ needs in the event that you die before they reach a predetermined age.

Bypass Trust
A trust for the benefit of a spouse, used to both maximize the  Estate tax exemption and to provide for management of assets.

Qualified Terminable Interest Property
A trust for the surviving spouse where the survivor receives all the income of the trust, has access to the trust principal under certain defined conditions, and passes according to the instructions left by the first to die.  In Maryland, a QTIP trust can be used to avoid or defer the Maryland Estate Tax.

Disclaimer Trust
Allows a surviving spouse to make the decision on whether to take assets outright or to place them in a trust for his or her benefit.

Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust
A trustee owns a life insurance policy on your life so that the proceeds will not be included in your estate.

Revocable Trust or “Living Trust”
A will substitute that is used along with a “pour-over will” to avoid most of the costs and disclosure in probate.

Advanced Estate Planning

Generation Skipping Trusts
A trust to benefit your grandchildren or subsequent generations designed to use your generation-skipping tax exemption.

Charitable Remainder Trusts
A trust established providing income for a number of years with the trust property after which the remainder interest is transferred to the charity.

Qualified Personal Residence Trust
Gift of your home while retaining use of the home for a set number of years.

Supplemental Needs Trust
Intended to provide for a disabled child without affecting eligibility for public benefits.

These and many other estate planning techniques, such as family limited partnerships and gifts of non-controlling stock, are available to those who have specific goals or future needs in mind. If you require these services, we can explain the benefits, options, and costs at our initial meeting.