Wills, Estates and Probate
Estate planning attorney
When it comes to helping our clients with estate planning and probate matters, our mission is to provide our clients with the most highly personalized legal service possible. When you need help and seek simplicity and clarity, we provide sound legal advice that helps you achieve your goals.
Our lawyers can help you with—
- Living Wills
- Health Care Surrogates
- Guardianships
- Wills and Trusts
- Estate planning
- Probate Matters
Why proper estate planning is important
Estate Planning is more than simply having a Will. Careful planning, including the execution of a living will, durable powers of attorney, and a will, helps to protect your family, your wealth and your assets by:
- Making your precise intentions known regarding the withholding of medical treatment in extreme cases through a Living Will;
- Easing the burden on your loved ones of dealing with health care providers, financial institutions, and other entities if you ever become incapacitated;
- Making your precise intentions known regarding the disposition of your assets and personal property, including your home, investments, business, life insurance and retirement accounts;
- Avoiding having the state decide how your property will be distributed amongst your family members if you were to die without a will;
- Minimizing potential estate taxes and other fees
- Avoiding the probate process altogether whenever possible
On the financial side, a good estate plan coordinates what would happen with your home, your investments, your business, your life insurance, your employee benefits-such as a 401(k) plan or Investment Retirement Account (IRA)-and other property in the event you became disabled, incompetent or if you die.
Why it is important to have a Living Will and Designated Health Care Surrogates
On the personal side, a good estate plan includes the execution of a Living Will and the designation of Health Care Surrogates. In Florida, a Living Will, not to be confused with a person’s legal will, states your clear and unequivocal intentions regarding the withholding of medical treatment if you were to be incapacitated with a terminal condition, in an end stage condition, or in a persistent vegetative state. A Living Will makes your wishes known regarding the use of heroic measures to keep you alive in those specified instances. With a properly executed Living Will, your health care providers will know exactly what your wishes are regarding the use of life sustaining measures, thus reducing the burden on your family, loved ones, and health care providers at a most difficult, emotional, and stressful time.
It is equally important to have a properly executed Health Care Surrogate designation in Florida. In designating a Health Care Surrogate, you make the choice of the person who is empowered to make health care decisions for you in the event that you are unable to do so. As with the Living Will, the benefits of having a properly executed Health Care Surrogate include reducing the burden of medical decision-making on your family, loved ones, and health care providers at a most difficult and emotional time.
Please allow the Law Office of Ronald J. Conte to help you with these simple yet important estate planning tools. Call Ron Conte today for more information regarding Living Wills and Health Care Surrogate Designations. Ron Conte understands that it is difficult and sometimes emotional to think about the issues and questions that Living Wills and Health Care Surrogates present. Ron is prepared, however, to help you in a respectful and sensitive manner to address these questions and to have the proper documents in place should they ever become necessary.
Probate
Property owned by a person at death, which does not pass to others by designation or ownership—such as life insurance policies and payable-on-death bank accounts—may be subject to the probate process. Any beneficiary or creditor can initiate probate in Florida. Normally the probate process begins with the filing of the original will with the court.
Those eligible to serve as personal representative for a Florida estate include:
- A bank or trust company operating in Florida
- Any Florida resident
- A spouse or close relative who is not necessarily resident in Florida
If you are unrelated to the deceased and are not a Florida resident, you cannot serve as a personal representative.
Click here for more information on The Florida Bar’s Probate section.
The Law Office of Ronald J. Conte is available to help you with probate matters. At what is often a very difficult and emotional time, it helps to have a qualified attorney to advise you regarding the probate process. Please consider calling Ron Conte if you have any questions or need help dealing with the probate process in Florida.
Call the Law Office of Ronald J. Conte today
Allow us to help you through your difficult time. We focus on the unfortunate legalities that follow a loss so you can focus on finding peace. Call our office today. We can help.
