ESTATE PLANNING
Tampa Estate Planning
Estate planning is one of the most important tools you have to protect your life’s work and assets. At MMJ Law, we provide a wide range of estate planning tools designed to protect your estate, help you grow it, and secure it for decades to come. As a full-service team, we’ll work closely with you to create a customized estate plan to address your biggest concerns and risks.
Comprehensive Service You Can Trust-
MMJ Law provides full estate planning services in Vero Beach, Tampa, and Sarasota, Florida, as well as throughout Arizona. We work with our clients to best understand their needs and concerns and then build an estate plan to address each one of those needs with care using the most innovative and effective tools available today.
Work with our estate lawyer in Florida and Arizona to help you with trusts and wills. We also provide full trust administration and litigation support. As a trusted team that utilizes the most advanced tools for asset protection, you can depend on MMJ Law through any legal situation you’re facing right now.
Contact our estate planning attorneys for exceptional service. We serve all of Arizona and Greater Tampa, Vero Beach, and Sarasota, Florida.
Trusts & Wills
Trusts and wills enable you to make your wishes known while also working to protect your assets for generations to come. A trust is a carefully devised tool that could help to minimize estate taxes and preserve your right to make decisions over what occurs with your assets. Allow the team at MMJ Law to work with you to create a legally binding trust that safeguards your wishes. Establishing and maintaining a will is critical to ensuring your wishes are honored after your death. Work with our highly experienced team to get a trust and will set up today. We serve all of the Greater Tampa, Sarasota, and Vero Beach areas of Florida, as well as all of Arizona.
Trust Administration and Litigation
Trust administration and litigation are sensitive, difficult legal needs. Trust only a highly experienced estate planning attorney to be by your side, including MMJ Law. Whether you are creating a plan for managing your own trust or you are facing legal complications due to perceived mistakes in a trust, our dedicated attorneys can help you.
We provide comprehensive ligation services for trusts as well. That includes going to court to protect your rights and safeguard your needs. Put your trust in our team to learn more about the wide range of ways we can create a legal strategy to protect your rights.
Our trust and litigation attorneys serve all of Tampa, Vero Beach, and Sarasota, Florida, as well as all of Arizona. Contact us today for a consultation.
Tampa Wills, Beneficiary Deeds, Guardianship, and Conservatorship Attorneys
Last Will and Testament-
A will is the most common way for you to distribute your property to family members, beneficiaries or to charities that you support after your death. A will can also provide a way to appoint a guardian or conservator for minor children and to name a personal representative to carry out the terms of your will when you pass away. A will is a way to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes, and that your family is protected in the event of your death.
In Florida, a will needs to go through probate: the process of legally establishing its validity in a court of law and qualifying your personal representative to administer your estate. Probate can be a time consuming and expensive process despite the streamlined process Florida implemented called Summary Probate Administration for estates under $75,000.
As of 2018, if your estate is in excess of roughly $11.2 million after adjustments, it will be subject to federal inheritance taxes.
Intestacy-
In the State of Florida, should you die without a will in place, the State will write your will for you and your assets will be distributed as determined by Florida’s intestacy laws. These laws will direct that at least half of your possessions will go to your spouse (if you have one) and then to your children; if you don’t have either of these, your nearest living relatives will be next in line to inherit from you – including your parents, your siblings, your grandchildren, and other relatives. It may be important to consult an attorney if your loved one dies intestate.
If you are found to have no living relatives at all, the State of Florida will inherit your property.
A Will is One of Several Options
A will, also known as a last will and testament, is one of several ways to transfer your property in the event of your death. It is important to consult with an attorney to determine if a will is the right method for you based on your estate and circumstances. Our attorneys can explain the advantages and disadvantages of these methods, and work with you to ensure your estate plan is right for you.
If you live in Tampa, or the surrounding area, contact the law offices of MMJ Law, to learn about your estate planning options. We are a focused, reliable and trustworthy law firm that practices solely in the areas of estate planning and related matters, asset protection and elder law. We will explain the advantages and disadvantages of wills in relation to other options and advise you as to whether a will is the best one for you.
Beneficiary Deeds
If you own real estate, it possible for you to transfer it to your beneficiaries under Florida law using an instrument called a Beneficiary Deed, or often referred to as a “Ladybird Deed”. The use of a Lady Bird Deed allows you to transfer real estate upon your death without having to go through the probate process. A will and a beneficiary deed can, in some cases, be combined as a means to avoid probate which is a much more complicated process. Your attorney at MMJ Law, can explain the use of a Beneficiary Deed and draft one as a part of your estate planning strategy if it is appropriate.
Guardianship and Conservatorship for Minors
If you have minor children, you can use a will to appoint guardians to care for them in the event of the death of both parents. Sometimes, a conservator is appointed separately from the guardian to handle the child’s financial affairs until the child reaches 18 years old.
Guardianship and Conservatorship for Yourself
While it may be unpleasant to think of a time when we can no longer care for ourselves independently, the day may come where we need to rely on others for our care. A guardian is a person you appoint in your will to care for you if the need arises. A will is also a good way to appoint someone who will manage your financial affairs, called a Conservator, if you can no longer manage them yourself. When you plan your will, you can decide if you would like your guardian and conservator to be the same person, or separate people.
The estate planning law firm of MMJ Law can help you navigate through your questions and decisions, and provide the detailed preparation of all necessary estate-related documents. You can count on us to provide a solid legal document that best exemplifies your wishes so you can rest easy knowing your family will be taken care of. Call our office today at (813) 856-5625 to schedule an appointment at your convenience with weekday and evening hours available.
MMJ Law
