Benefits Of Hiring A Florida Estate Planning Attorney

You worked hard for your money and you did your best to provide for your family. But you can also continue doing that even when you’re no longer around through a carefully crafted estate plan.



For some families, a will may be enough, but if you have a large estate, have special instructions, and want to protect your family from probate, you may need to hire a Florida estate planning attorney. This legal professional can help spring your vision to life, and create an estate plan consisting of different legal tools that will help you maximize your estate, and ensure that your assets end up in the right hands. 

Here’s everything you need to know about working with an estate planning attorney Florida.

What Is An Estate Planning Attorney?

An estate planning attorney is a licensed legal professional specializing in end-of-life planning, intestacy laws, and probate law. 

When working with one, they’ll carefully listen to your preferences and evaluate your family’s unique needs when choosing which legal instruments will suit your needs the best. For instance, if you have minor children, your estate plan will look a lot different than if you have a dependent with special needs.

Regardless of your requirements, an experienced professional will create something that allows you to maximize your estate while also accounting for your intricate family dynamic. 

What A Florida Estate Planning Attorney Can Do For You

By using different legal instruments, an estate planning attorney has the ability to provide you with control of your state in cases where you’re incapacitated or pass away. Here’s a short list of what an estate planning attorney can help you with:

1. Drafting a last will

An attorney can help draft, sign, and execute this important document. Since they’re knowledgeable on all the legal requirements surrounding wills, they can help maximize their efficiency in order to protect your assets. Wills are a classic estate planning tool, but they’re often limited in what they can achieve. Plus, assets covered by the will need to go to probate, which can be a lengthy and costly process.

2. Drafting trusts, powers of attorney, and health directives

A living trust can provide you with more control over your assets, and address your estate planning needs while you’re still alive. A trust allows you to leave the assets to your beneficiaries during your lifetime, with the caveat they can’t access them until you pass away. Another key advantage is the fact assets in a trust don’t go to probate since they’re technically not a part of your estate, rather, they’re owned by the trust itself.

Like wills, trusts also list beneficiaries. However, while you can draft a will without the assistance of a legal professional, for a trust to be valid, it needs to be written by an estate planning attorney. 

Furthermore, you can also introduce provisions that dictate the conditions after which the beneficiary can receive the assets. For instance, you can leave assets to your son which they can access only if they graduate from college. 

An estate planning attorney in Florida can also help set up healthcare directives that clarify your healthcare preferences if a medical emergency leaves you incapacitated. This helps avoid the situation where your family has to guess what you would have wanted. The same thing applies to the power of attorney, a document allowing you to designate a trusted individual who will have the authority to take care of your financial affairs while you’re incapacitated.

Like wills, trusts also list beneficiaries. However, while you can draft a will without the assistance of a legal professional, for a trust to be valid, it needs to be written by an estate planning attorney. 

3. Avoiding estate taxes

While trusts are one of the most useful tools that allow you to avoid estate taxes, there are other noteworthy techniques estate planning attorneys can help you implement to minimize the tax burden on your estate.

One such method is utilizing lifetime gifts to minimize the overall value of probatable estate. In other situations, it may also be effective to utilize the use of death beneficiaries and joint property ownership to transfer property automatically. 

4. Avoid probate

With large estates, probate is something you want to avoid. Not only is it long and keeps your family from receiving your assets, but it can also eat away at your estate and can be an overall stressful experience for everyone involved.

Fortunately, with an estate plan, you can prevent probate and as a result, stop your family from embarking on a lengthy legal process, while also minimizing the instances of family disagreements.

Your goal with an estate plan isn’t just to ensure your wishes are respected, but it’s also there to minimize legal concerns after death. It can save your family time, money, and stress. 

Because of this, you should hire a professional now to prevent your loved ones from doing damage control during an emotionally challenging period. 

5. Resolve legal disputes

There’s a possibility some family members won’t be happy with your estate plan. They may even dispute its contents after you pass away, or they may even try to change it through a financial power of attorney if you’re incapacitated. 

Both scenarios are challenging for most people to handle. This is why it’s recommended to have an attorney who put together your estate plan to oversee the litigation to protect your wishes. 

Protect Your Estate And Your Family

An estate plan is an absolute necessity for all citizens, especially if they own a substantial amount of assets. We’re willing to bet you worked hard to earn everything you owe, and it should be fair for you to decide what happens to your assets after you pass away. 

Reach out to attorneys at Doane & Doane if you want to create an effective estate plan. Over the last two decades, we helped many individuals and families use the most effective legal means possible to maximize the amount of the assets they leave to their loved ones. We’ll offer valuable guidance, closely evaluate your needs, and provide you with the legal documentation that can protect your interests and help you achieve your goals. 

Regardless of whether you need a simple will, a trust, or a comprehensive estate plan, Doane & Doane can help.

Learn more about what we offer - call 561-656-0200 or fill out our contact form.

Note: 

The information in this blog post is for reference only and not legal advice. As such, you should not make legal decisions based on the information in this blog post. Moreover, there is no lawyer-client relationship resulting from this blog post, nor should any such relationship be implied. If you need legal counsel, please consult a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.