Estate Planning
Estate Planning
At Pattern Law, we take a different approach to estate planning. While illness, incapacity, and death are not easy topics to broach, we encourage our clients to think of estate planning as an act of love: a way to protect and care for the people who matter most in your life by giving them a roadmap for making decisions when you can’t.
Estate planning is more than deciding who receives your belongings - it is an act of care that can help your loved ones understand your wishes about medical treatment, organ donation, guardianship for children, elders, and pets, and more. Estate planning is a move you can make today that will relieve your loved ones of difficult decisions in the future, allowing them space to cherish your memory when you are no longer here.
Our Estate Planning Services Include:
Wills
Trusts
Power of Attorney
Medical Decision Makers
Advance Directives
Living Wills
Frequently Asked Estate Planning Questions:
-
No. Marriage provides a large amount of estate protections for you and your spouse, but it does not delineate what kind of medical care you do or do not want, who you want to care for your kids or dependents when you can’t, or what you would like done with your remains. By estate planning, you are reducing the number of decisions your spouse and/or children need to make during a challenging time.
-
Estate planning is essential to ensure the well-being and security of your children, particularly those under 18. This service provides the opportunity to establish a comprehensive plan, including the designation of guardianship and other arrangements, to address potential circumstances such as illness, incapacity, or the passing of the parents.
-
A springing power of attorney is a legal document granting someone authority to act on your behalf after specified events, such as a medical professional certifying that you are unable to make decisions for yourself. Chronic illness planning is designed for individuals with long-term health conditions who may occasionally experience periods of incapacitation due to their illness. This includes conditions that could result in seizures, physical limitations, or mental health challenges affecting one’s ability to make autonomous medical or legal decisions.
-
A special needs trust is a legal arrangement that assists in passing along your estate and managing its money, as opposed to lump-sum arrangements. This service is designed to assist individuals in managing their estate in a personalized manner, taking into account factors such as age, addiction, and disability, to help ensure that your loved ones are protected from potential financial disadvantages upon the distribution of your estate.