One big crucial step you can take in life is estate planning. And for the fact that you’re on this page, you’re on the right track. An estate planning attorney in Buffalo, NY, will work with you to create an estate plan that effectively distributes your assets when you die, minimize cost, as well as plan for the management of your estate should you become incapacitated at any time. And that is what we do.
Our estate planning attorneys are highly-skilled with years of experience assisting clients in Buffalo City and throughout New York. We seek to help you plan for the future, thus making the thought of death a little easier to handle. You have peace of mind knowing that your wishes will be honored when something happens to you, and that your loved ones will receive all that you want for them.
To get this peace of mind, call us today to speak with an estate planning attorney in Buffalo, NY.
Our estate planning services
Our estate planning services include:
- Creation of estate planning documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, etc.)
- Tax planning
- Asset Protection
- Probate and estate administration
- Estate litigation
- Guardianship
1. Creation of estate planning documents
To create a well-rounded estate plan, we plan for the effective management of your estate during your lifetime and possible incapacity, its distribution after death, as well as the reduction of risks and costs.
To achieve all that, we help you establish:
- A Will: Your last will is a document that expresses your last wishes concerning your assets’ distribution when you die. A will, as simple as it seems, has legal requirements for validity. If any requirement is violated due to ignorance, your will will be discarded by the court during probate, and your wishes will not be honored. But acting as your estate planning attorney, we will ensure your will:
- Complies with state laws for validity
- Contains the right terms
- Does exactly what you want it to do
- Addresses the right assets it should address to avoid confusion and squabbles when you pass away.
- A Living Trust: When you use a will, your beneficiaries will wait a long time until probate concludes before they can inherit your estate. Probate often takes a long time. To avoid the wait, we can fund your assets into a living trust instead. Assets held in a trust will pass to your beneficiary directly and immediately you pass away without being probated in court.
- Powers of Attorney: A power of attorney is a document in which you name an individual to handle your estate and make financial decisions for you. It is typically used for incapacity planning so that you would have someone to run things in your stead when you can’t manage them yourself.
- Living Will: in this document, you express your wishes concerning end-of-life medical care. Would you want to be kept on life support or not when there is no foreseeable restoration of life? This is the kind of instructions you write down in your living will.
2. Tax Planning
Should your estate be subject to state and/or federal estate taxes, we would plan your estate with an eye towards tax minimization o avoidance as the case may be.
3. Asset protection
Your estate may be subject to taxes and creditor claims. In the end, a huge part of your life’s work will be going to other people other than your family. But there are estate planning strategies by which your assets can be shielded from your creditors’ reach and tax imposition.
4. Probate and estate administration
Our attorneys are also specialized in New York probate. Our probate attorneys will help you plan towards probate avoidance, or work with a Will executor to ensure the seamless administration of the estate.
5. Estate litigation
During probate, matters may arise that warrant one party to file a lawsuit against the executor or another family member over property. This is known as estate litigation. Each party involved in the case must be duly represented by an attorney in court. To ensure your rights are protected, get compassionate representation by calling our office today.
6. Guardianship
If you have a minor, note that they cannot inherit until they reach 18. However, we can help you establish guardianship by naming a guardian in your will, who will manage the assets for your child’s benefits until they come of age. On the other hand, if you seek to apply as the guardian of a minor or your elderly loved one, we can help you file this in court and give you estimable legal representation.
