Probate & Estate Planning Lawyers
Comprehensive Probate and Estate Planning Services
Changes in Your Family Relationships Require Changes in Your Estate Plans
When your life is transformed through divorce, adoption, and other family law matters, you have so many critical issues to deal with that estate planning often gets overlooked. This can have disastrous consequences for your family, so it is wise to schedule appointments to adjust your plans sooner rather than later.
The team at our sister firm, Sandoval Legacy Group, helps families secure their futures through comprehensive estate planning. As your family moves through transitions in life, Sandoval Legacy Group can provide the planning and assistance you need to keep moving forward.
Why Estate Planning is So Critical After a Change
Divorce and other family law actions change legal property rights and often other rights as well. When most married couples set up their estate plans, they name their spouse as the primary beneficiary of a will or trust and as the agent for health care and other financial documents.
A divorce often revokes these appointments, so if your documents don’t contain alternate provisions, then those documents are useless. You need to update your plans to ensure that loved ones will be provided for and the right people are named to positions of authority.
Change Your Powers of Attorney
A comprehensive estate plan includes financial and healthcare powers of attorney that authorize someone to make decisions for you if you are incapacitated and unable to make or communicate your own choices. By the time you’re ready to file for divorce, your spouse is probably no longer the person you want to be making those decisions for you. It makes sense to choose a new agent for your durable financial and healthcare power of attorney. It is a good idea to designate alternates as well.
Update Your Will or Trust
It is important to review your will or trust periodically to see if any terms need adjustment, and this becomes particularly critical when contemplating divorce, adoption, or other family law matters. You want to ensure that the person designated as your trustee or personal representative (also known as your executor) is still someone you believe to be qualified for the role and that they are still willing to serve. The same holds true for any guardian designations for your children.
In addition, you need to review your plans for distributing assets to loved ones to ensure that the projected outcome matches your goals. After a divorce or new marriage, you may need to take extra steps to keep everyone covered. If you don’t have a will or trust, your property will be distributed according to the California laws of intestate succession regardless of what you wanted or promised to loved ones.
Other Plans That May Need Adjusting
In addition to the basic essential personal documents, Sandoval Legacy Group can assist with complex and specialized estate plans such as:
- Irrevocable trusts for asset protection, estate tax minimization, special needs protection, and other goals
- Business succession planning to allow for continued business operation in times of transition
- Strategies to reduce tax liability and secure assets from potential creditors
- Charitable planning
- Plans to avoid the need for conservatorship
- Strategies to cover long-term care costs
When a loved one passes away or loses the ability to care for their needs, Sandoval Legacy Group can also guide your family through probate or trust administration or assist in obtaining conservatorship. If a conflict arises concerning estate or trust administration, Sandoval Legacy Group has the skills, knowledge, and experience to protect your interests in complex, high-conflict litigation.
Secure Your Future with the Right Estate Plans
As you move forward after your divorce, marriage, adoption, or other family changes, it is important to ensure that you and your loved ones are protected in case of emergencies and eventual life transitions. Knowing that you have updated powers of attorney, a will or trust, and other critical documents prepared allows you to face the future with confidence. Schedule an appointment with Sandoval Legacy Group today to update or create the right plans for your new family arrangements.
Helpful resources for your estate planning needs:
Sandoval Legacy Group, a division of Holstrom, Block and Parke, a Professional Law Corporation, adds a preeminent Elder Law, Tax Law, and Estate Planning and Probate law practice to our pedigreed Family Law firm. Clients now enjoy a vast range of legal services, resources and end-to-end representation, all under one roof.
