Why Hire an Estate Planning Attorney?
Estate planning is extremely important, but it can be complicated to handle on your own. There are a lot of moving parts to manage in order to ensure your plan is complete and legally sound. Working on your plan without professional guidance can put you at a great disadvantage.
With many factors involved, such as wills and trusts, powers of attorney, real estate, and more, it pays to have an LGBTQ+ estate planning lawyer on your side.
An experienced lawyer will be able to assist you with any difficulties you run into. For same-sex couples in domestic partnerships, civil unions, or married with kids, estate planning is especially important.
If you’re on the fence about hiring an estate planning lawyer, we encourage you to reach out to our law firm. At Metz & Jones LLC, we’re highly skilled at helping clients plan for the future and are here to answer all of your estate planning questions.
To learn more about the benefits of hiring an estate planning attorney, continue reading. We also invite you to contact our law office to schedule a consultation.
Benefits of Hiring an Estate Planning Lawyer
Avoiding Probate & Estate Taxes
Allowing an estate to go through the probate process can be extremely time-consuming and costly for a family. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid probate, and an experienced lawyer can help you do that. Methods such as gifting assets, setting up trusts, etc., can help you protect your legacy.
Additionally, proper beneficiary designations on life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and other financial accounts ensure these assets transfer without issue. This is especially important for unmarried partners.
For LGBTQ+ individuals and families, avoiding probate can offer additional benefits by:
- Maintaining privacy about your estate plan
- Limiting ways for estranged family members to challenge your wishes
- Ensuring your chosen family receives their inheritance without delays or legal complications
- Reducing the emotional and financial burden on your loved ones
Updating Your Estate
Legislative changes and court decisions continue to shape how estates, trusts, and inheritance rights are handled. Without professional guidance, you could risk creating a plan that does not fully protect your loved ones or reflect your wishes.
When you work with our qualified estate planning attorneys at Metz & Jones LLC, you gain many advantages. Our attorneys stay informed about changes to Illinois estate laws and federal regulations. We understand how these changes impact LGBTQ+ individuals. We’ll make sure your estate plan addresses any issues that could affect your family structure.
We’ll also help you make informed decisions based on your situation, family dynamics, and long-term goals. Our attorneys will help guide you through important considerations like:
- Protecting your partner’s inheritance rights
- Establishing guardianship for children
- Creating healthcare directives that recognize your chosen family
- Minimizing potential tax burdens
- Setting up beneficiary designations
We also offer ongoing support. Legal requirements and your personal circumstances may change over time. As your estate planning partner, we ensure your documents remain legally sound and up to date, giving you peace of mind. We can help you review and adjust your estate plan as needed when things like marriage, adoption, property acquisition, or other life changes occur.
Protecting Your Children Through Guardianship Planning
For LGBTQ+ families, establishing clear guardianship arrangements is a crucial part of estate planning. Without the right legal documentation, courts may make guardianship decisions that don’t align with your wishes.
With thorough planning, we can help protect your family by:
- Creating legally binding guardianship nominations that ensure your partner or spouse maintains custody of minor children
- Documenting your explicit wishes regarding your children’s care and upbringing
- Building safeguards against potential custody challenges from biological relatives
- Setting up financial arrangements to support your children’s ongoing care
Even if you’re married or have adopted children with a partner, additional legal protections can offer crucial security. We’ll help you set up comprehensive guardianship arrangements that protect your partner’s parental rights and your children’s well-being.
This proactive step is especially important for:
- Families with children from previous relationships
- Parents who haven’t completed second-parent adoptions
- Unmarried partners raising children together
- Blended families
- Parents who want to exclude biological relatives from custody consideration
Resolving Estate Disputes
Family conflicts over inheritance and estate matters can create emotional and legal challenges. These disputes often arise from complex family dynamics, particularly when relationships are strained. At Metz & Jones LLC, we have extensive experience mediating and resolving estate-related conflicts.
Common disputes we handle include:
- Challenges to will validity
- Questions about executor responsibilities
- Disagreements over asset distribution
- Conflicts regarding powers of attorney
- Disputes between beneficiaries
- Contested guardianship matters
Our approach focuses on protecting our clients’ wishes while seeking practical, fair resolutions. We understand that estate disputes can alter family relationships and often involve sensitive personal topics. As neutral third-party professionals, we provide:
- Professional Mediation: We help guide discussions between family members, working to find common ground and acceptable solutions. Our experience in LGBTQ+ family law gives us insight into navigating complex family structures and relationships.
- Legal Protection: If family members try to contest your estate plan or gain control over your affairs, we’ll address the situation. Our experienced attorneys will stand up for your rights and make sure your wishes are followed.
- Preventative Planning: Many estate disputes can be avoided through careful planning. We help clients create clear, legally sound estate plans that lessen the potential for future conflicts. This includes detailed documentation of your intentions and careful consideration of family dynamics.
Contact Us Today
When it comes to estate planning, the professionals at Metz & Jones LLC have you covered. Our experienced team will help you create an estate plan that protects your family’s best interests.
Contact our law firm today to schedule a consultation.
