Estate Attorneys St. Mary's County
Quick Links:
Business
Succession Planning
Durable
Power of Attorney and Statutory Power of Attorney
Will
Drafting
Living
Wills & Advance Healthcare Directive
Medicare
Planning
Nursing
Home Planning
Do
Not Resuscitate/DNR Orders
Estate
Administration
Probate
Litigation
Caveats/Will
Contests
Elder
Law
Tax
Planning
Marital
Trusts
Bypass
Trusts
Planning an estate is one of the most important things you can
do for yourself and your family, yet estate planning is generally not included
at the top of a person's priority list. Creating the proper estate plan can make
the difference between having a say in the swift and proper handling of your
affairs when you pass or having a court administer your estate over a long
period of time. Whether you are a young person with growing assets in need of
estate planning advice, or just a person wishing to create or update your will,
this section provides basic information to help you effectively plan your
estate.
Estate planning starts with an analysis of your assets, your
liabilities, the present and future needs and desires of yourself or your loved
ones, and considerations in the events of your or your loved ones’ incapacity.
The Law Offices of Baldwin and Briscoe, P.C. can assist you
with the many forms of estate planning.
Business
Succession Planning Make sure your business continues to
thrive even after you are gone. Forming a business succession plan can help
effect an orderly and affordable transfer of the business to the next
generation or key employee. Failure to plan for orderly business succession can
result in both monetary losses and even the loss of the business itself. We can
assist you in designing a comprehensive and fail safe business succession plan.
Durable
Power of Attorney and Statutory Power of Attorney Make sure
the decisions made for you are the right ones even if you can’t make them
yourself. Creating a durable power of attorney gives an agent the right to act
on your behalf if you become mentally incapacitated or otherwise rendered
unable to make your decisions and handle your affairs. If you want to give
someone such authority the best way to do it is through a statutory durable
power of attorney. We can help ensure that you and your family are taken care
of if something happens to you. To read more about powers of attorney in Maryland, see: Powers of Attorney
Will Drafting Make sure your assets and children are taken care of. A Last Will and Testament
is the proper way to ensure that your funds, property and personal effects will
be distributed after your death according to your wishes. Wills are important
for younger and older people alike. Having a Will is especially important if
you have young children because it gives you the opportunity to designate a
guardian for them in the event of your death. Without a completed last Will and
Testament, the court will appoint a guardian for your children. We can help
make sure your assets go where you want and your children are taken care of.
Living
Wills & Advance Healthcare Directives Make sure you have a
say in your own health care decisions. A health care directive, also known as a
living will, gives your family direction on the medical care you want if you
are unable to communicate your health care decisions yourself. We can help you
appoint another person to make health care decisions, leave written
instructions so that other people make decisions based or your wishes, or do
both.
Medicare
Planning Make sure you take advantage of the best health care
options for you. Medicare planning includes discussing your options for long
term health care, figuring out how to pay and finance your care, planning ahead
for long term care you or your family may need, and finding someone to talk to
about your questions for long term care. We can help assist you in getting the
best long term health care plan for you.
Nursing
Home Planning Make sure you are taken care of later on in your
life. It is important to think about advanced planning should you or your loved
ones ever be in a position in which a nursing home or live in nurse is
necessary. We can help you provide every supplemental need for the senior
including such things as new clothing, special duty nurses, and private
rooms.
Do
Not Resuscitate/DNR Orders Make sure you receive the medical
treatment you want to receive. A Do Not Resuscitate order addresses the various
methods used to revive people whose hearts have stopped functioning or who have
stopped breathing. This could include chest compressions, electric heat shock,
artificial breathing tubes, and special drugs. We can help you create a Do Not
Resuscitate Order so that you can make your own health care decisions.
Estate
Administration Make sure the estate of a loved one is
collected and managed properly. Estate administration involves gathering the
assets of the estate, paying any debts the decedent may have incurred, and
distributing the remaining assets. We can assist you in making sure the will of
your loved one is carried out properly. To read more, see the following article: Personal Representatives and Special Administrators
Probate
Litigation Make sure you get you fair share of what is left to
you. Probate litigation is a result of a contested will. A will can be
contested if beneficiaries are not given an inventory of property, if details
about the creditors are not disclosed, or if claims of undue influence are
made. We can help you avoid disputes among family members, make sure all
heirs receive what is rightfully theirs, and get the maximum benefit from the
property.
Caveats/Will
Contests Make sure your loved one’s estate is managed the
right way. A will caveat and will contest is brought to challenge the validity
of a will and can be filed at two points during the probate process. A will can
be contested either before or after the will is admitted to probate. We can
assist you with the process and make sure everything is legal and proper.
Elder
Law Make sure the elderly in your life are taken care of.
Elder law covers all aspects of issues facing the elderly. It counsels and
represents older persons, their representatives, and their families. Elder law
deals with the legal aspects of estate planning, health and long term care
planning, and pubic benefits. We can meet all the needs of you or your
loved ones.
Tax
Planning Make sure your taxes are done the right way. Tax
planning is an important part of your overall financial plan. If planned
careful throughout the year, the amount of taxes you pay can be reduced. Tax
laws are complex and frequently change. We can help you achieve your
financial goals by managing your taxes.
Marital
Trusts Make sure your spouse is protected should something
happen to either of you. A marital trust is an arrangement whereby a married
individual has some or all property put into trust upon her or his death with
the spouse as the beneficiary. The income from the trusts are paid to the
surviving spouse for life. We can help you reduce the impact of estate
taxes after a spouse’s death.
Bypass
Trusts Make sure you use your trust opportunities to the best
advantage. A Bypass trust shelters property from federal estate taxation.
Leaving property to someone in the form of a bypass trust ensures that the
property will not be subject to estate taxes when that person dies. Bypass
trusts are especially useful for spouses who plan their estates together. If
drafted incorrectly, your bypass trust can cost over a million dollars in
taxes. We have the knowledge and experience to do your bypass trust right.
The Law Offices of Baldwin & Briscoe, P.C. also offers these services: Bankruptcy and Foreclosure, Business Law, Civil Litigation, Criminal Defense, Employment, Disability, and Consumer Rights, Family Law, Government Contracts Law, Intellectual Property, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Social Security Disability & Workers’ Compensation and Wills, Trusts, & Estates
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