Sound estate planning puts you in charge of where your wealth goes after you pass away. It can also place trusted loved ones in charge of decisions over your finances and health care if you should become incapacitated.
At Fortson, Bentley and Griffin, P.A., our focus on the estate planning and public benefits needs of individuals and families enables the firm to be particularly sensitive the multiple stresses that these individuals and families confront on a daily basis, which are compounded by the complexities of the American legal and health care systems. Our attorneys help clients navigate this system by providing answers where they are hard to find and identifying solutions to the clients' particular needs and goals.
Contact us online or by telephone at 877-355-0830 to speak with one of our experienced Athens estate planning lawyers.
Achieving Your Estate Planning Goals
An important goal of an estate plan is protecting your assets from unnecessary taxation and other liabilities. By properly utilizing estate planning vehicles like wills and trusts, you can ensure that as much of your wealth as possible will go to your surviving loved ones.
We handle a wide range of estate planning issues for clients with large, small and mid-sized estates, including:
- Wills: A document that details how you want your property and assets distributed after your death.
- Trusts: A trust allows you to set aside assets for a loved one. There are a wide range of trusts, including living trusts, special needs trusts and asset protection trusts.
- Health care directives: A health care directive gives instructions for what type and extent of medical treatment you wish to receive if you are incapacitated and cannot make those decisions when they arise.
- Powers of attorney: A financial power of attorney gives a trusted loved one decision-making authority over your financial matters. A health care power of attorney gives authority over end-of-life treatment and other medical decisions.
- Medicaid Planning: A guardianship is a legal function which assigns rights and responsibilities over the care of a child or disabled adult.
- Medicaid Planning: The complex and ever-evolving rules of Medicaid play an increasingly important role with respect to traditional estate planning concerns.
Probate and Estate Administration
We also represent executors, estate administrators, beneficiaries and other parties in the legal proceedings that take place after the death of a family member. These issues can be very complex, involving the interpreting of the will, the valuing of an estate and the distribution of assets to beneficiaries. Legal disputes can arise over the validity of a will and other estate planning documents.
Our lawyers have extensive experience handling probate and estate administration issues and can provide you with sound legal advice and determined advocacy if you face a will contest or any other probate-related dispute.
Contact Our Wills and Trusts Lawyers Serving Watkinsville and all of Northeast Georgia
If you are seeking experienced legal representation for an estate planning matter, please contact us online or by telephone at 877-355-0830 to speak with one of our experienced Athens estate planning lawyers.
