Estate Planning or Probate From A Local Mohave County Attorney

Nobody likes to think of thier own death. Nevertheless, careful planning now can save your family months of delays, thousands of dollars, and countless hours of headaches; as well as guarantee that your wishes are followed. Whether your goals in estate planning are simply to make your wishes known, and guarantee they are followed, or if they are more complex and designed to avoid Probate, our office can help :

WILLS...this is the simplest form of Estate Planning. With a will you can specify who gets which portion of your property. You can be as specific as you want or broad, but a will covers everything you own. A will leaves your estate subject to Probate.

TRUSTS...this is one of the most complex forms of Estate Planning designed to avoid Probate altogether. A trust is a legally binding contract you make with a trustee to disperse your estate as you choose. There are many types of trusts including revocable and irrevocable, spendthrift, self-settled, Husband and Wife joint or seperate, Husband and Wife survivorship trusts (A & B), and different subsets. Trusts provide the freedom of a will, while combining Probate avoidance, asset management should you become incapacitiated and additional controls.

HEALTHCARE POWER OF ATTORNEY...if you need medical care, or emergency services this document gives the person you choose the right to make decisions on your behalf. If you want someone other than your next of kin to make these decisions, you must have this document.

LIVING WILL aka ADVANCED HEALTH DIRECTIVE...this document allows you to specifically make your wishes known in advance. Do you want to be resucitated (DNR), do you want a blood transfusion , feeding tubes, do you want to be buried or cremated? Do you want to be an organ donor, and if so to what extent? Any purpose? Medical Research? Lifesaving only? If you don't specify you could become the next "Body" on display at the Luxor, or wind up on a slab for six months at a Medical School. All of these questions and more can be answered by a living will. A living will gives you control over these decisions now, and maintains that control should you enter the hospital if you want to at all .

DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY...this allows someone else to sign a legal document on your behalf. If you are unable to pay your bills due to hospitalization, the person you name can sign the check. If you need to enter into any kind of a contract like a lease, or purchase, your agent can sign on your behalf. Without this document, and a healthcare Power of Attorney a Guardianship and/or Conservatorship could become necessary if you become incapacitated.
PROBATE Imagine this scenario: A close family member or friend has just died. You are named the executor of his/her estate. What do you do now? Or, the same family member died without a will. How do you proceed? The answer is you need the services of a Probate Lawyer. Probate is complex and time consuming: Marilyn Monroe died in the early 1960's; her estate finally made it through probate in 2001. How long will Anna Nicole Smith's estate be in probate? Or Michael Jackson? True not everyone is a celebrity with a fortune on the line, but when money is at stake family can fight for months and even years over any amount of money. While Probate is a complex and time-consuming process, there is no reason it cannot be handled efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time. Most cases can be handled from start to finish in six months to a year, as long as there are not time consuming delays. To avoid delays, you need an attorney who is personally on top of each and every aspect of your case. Our office can help you get through Probate as quickly and inexpensively as possible so you may follow the wishes of your departed family member or friend and dispose of thier estate properly.

Guardianship

What if your mother suffers a stroke? Or your son is in a car accident and suffers brain damage? Or your spouse has Alzheimer's disease? How can you care for them? A Guardianship and Conservatorship may be the answer. With a Guardianship you can obtain the right to make decisions on behalf of someone who either temporarily or permanently cannot do so for themselves. With a Conservatorship you obtain the right to access and manage the finances of a person who is either temporarily or permanently incapacitated. If you need either of these services, our firm can help.