Estate Planning Family Law
Helping Clients Prepare
for and Navigate Worst
Case Scenarios
Nobody wants to think about death or divorce, but proactively planning for either can save you and your loved ones both money and unnecessary stress. Together, we can design a personalized and comprehensive estate plan to help you safeguard your assets, plan for periods of disability or incapacity, and provide your loved ones with the guidance and piece of mind they’ll need if you should pass before them. If you’re facing a divorce, we can provide you with legal advice and recommendations and ultimately help you navigate the difficult and complex legal process.
Let’s Get Started!
Not sure where to even start or if you even need an attorney? While your issue may not require one, it’s better to consult with an attorney about your options before you find yourself in a situation where you wish you had hired one. Our firm provides free 30-minute virtual consultations to prospective clients in both Estate Planning and Family law matters. Contact us today to see if we can assist you with your legal needs!
Services We Provide
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Estate Planning
Estate planning is for everyone, not just the rich. Even if you don’t have a lot to leave, an Estate Plan can provide your loved ones with instructions for carrying out your final wishes, memorialize your legacy, nominate guardians for minor children, and help to manage your medical and financial needs during periods of disability or incapacity. Let us help you personalize a plan that will give you and your loved ones piece of mind.
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Restraining Orders
Many people attempt to obtain or defend Restraining Orders without legal representation. While it is entirely possible to successfully do either, most attempts to do so are not successful. This is in part due to the fact that there are two different types of restraining orders, each with their own elements to prove and burdens of proof. We can assist you with obtaining or defending against either type, with full or even limited representation.
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Family Law
Nobody enters a marriage with the intent of divorcing. However, 50% of marriages end in divorce. While many people think that prenups predict doom, only 5% of divorcing couples have a prenup in place! If you fall within the 95% who didn’t plan for it, we can help you navigate the often emotionally overwhelming process of divorce. If you would like to proactively establish a plan to streamline the process “just in case,” we can help with that too.
The Estate Planning Process
Schedule a consultation. Click here to book an appointment now. During the consultation we’ll discuss your goals and will determine whether a will-based or trust-based estate plan is best for you.
Sign up for a plan. After the consultation, we’ll send you a Client Agreement and invoice for either a will-based or trust-based plan. After you sign the Agreement and submit payment, we’ll send you an Intake Form to complete.
Attend a 60-minute virtual design meeting. At the design meeting, we will discuss the custom plan we drafted based on your Intake Form answers, address any questions or concerns you may have, and will finalize your estate plan.
Your documents are finalized. After the design meeting, we’ll make any necessary additions or changes to your plan, and will begin preparing your documents for your signature.
Sign your plan. Your documents will need to be signed in the presence of two witnesses and a notary. We’ll schedule your signing meeting for a place and time that is convenient to you during the design meeting.
The Divorce Process
Starting the Process. The legal process for a divorce begins when one spouse files a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. The other spouse has 30 days after being served with the Petition and Summons to file and serve a Response.
Financial Disclosures. The spouse who filed the Petition must share their financial information with the other spouse within 60 days of filing the Petition. The other spouse must share their financial information within 60 days of filing their Response.
Decide How to Settle the Issues. There are many issues that must be settled during the divorce process, including by not limited to deciding: how to split assets and debts, who will get legal and physical custody of minor children, and who (if anyone) will pay the other for spousal and/or child support. If the spouses agree on how to settle the issues, then they may never have to attend a court hearing to finalize their divorce. However, when spouses cannot agree, they must use the court process to have a judge decide the issues.
Finalize the divorce. A divorce is not automatically final once all the issues have been decided! Paperwork must be submitted to the court and signed by a judge before a divorce is final. Even then, a divorce might not be final until a future date.
*Each and every divorce is different and therefore the tasks that must be completed within each step of the process can vary greatly. More often than not, settling all the issues is more difficult than originally thought by either or both spouses. You should never assume that you’ll have an easy or quick divorce or that the outcome will be the same as someone else’s. Although its not impossible to complete a divorce without legal representation, the legal process of divorce is complex - certain things must occur within very specific times - and negative consequences can occur if you make a mistake. Therefore, it is best to consult with an attorney early in the process.
Click here to book a free 30-minute consultation with us today!
