Proper planning now can help avoid difficult, and perhaps costly, circumstances later on. Whether you recently moved to Florida or are a long-time resident, it’s always a good idea to review your existing estate plan with a Florida attorney.
Here are some of the issues we can evaluate for our estate planning clients:
Determining whether or not an out-of-state Will complies with Florida law
Adjusting distribution plans due to changed circumstances.
Designating personal representatives authorized to serve in Florida
Determining the need for a Durable Power of Attorney, a Living Will, and a Designation of Health Care Surrogate.
If your will was prepared in another state, we can determine whether your non-Florida will will be admitted to probate in this state, whether your designated personal representative will qualify to serve in Florida, and whether a secondary probate might be required in another state. Also, a thorough review of your complete estate plan can help you decide whether the special provisions of Florida law make the preparation of a new Will advisable.
Probate
When a person dies in Florida with assets titled in their individual name, there must be a probate. This is true even if the deceased had a valid will. Through careful estate planning we may be able to help your family avoid the process of probate through the transfer of assets by trusts and other estate planning techniques.
When assisting clients with the probate of an estate, our goal is to take the burden of complex legal issues away from our clients so they can focus on their family and their emotional needs. We understand that the passing of a loved one is a tremendously challenging time in the life of clients and we do everything in our power to handle all legal affairs as efficiently and professionally as possible to ease the burden of their loss.
We handle the entire probate process and assist with:
Gathering information
Determining the validity of the will
Filing the will
Recording the death certificate
Filing the petition to begin probate administration
If you or a loved one wish to speak with an experienced Orlando, Florida estate planning or probate lawyer, we encourage you to email or call Matthew P. Tabakman, P.A., at (407) 926-0324.