Seattle Wills Lawyer
No matter what your age or economic situation is, hiring the services of a Seattle wills lawyer is highly recommended. This is an important part of creating a comprehensive estate plan.
An important part of all estate plans is the will. This is the document that expresses your wishes related to how you want your assets divided and distributed after you pass away. The will is also going to name a guardian for your minor children, if any. Wills can also be used to help reduce the taxes on your estate and should be updated and revised throughout your life to reflect your current situation.
When you hire our Seattle wills attorneys you can feel confident that we will help you with all your estate planning needs. For a reasonable fee, we will review your life and situation while explaining to you how we can help you achieve your goals.
The first step is to contact us to set up an initial consultation. This is the first step in the process of creating a will and estate plan.
Unique Factors to Consider When Creating a Will in Seattle
Most people believe that wills and trusts are completely separate from each other. However, in Seattle (and all of Washington), with the help of our will lawyer you can create a will that provides for a testamentary trust. The trust will be created once you pass away. This is an effective and useful way to provide for your family while reducing capital gains taxes. We can help with any situation and have experience drafting wills for people no matter their age or economic status.
When you talk to us to discuss your situation, we will listen to you and learn about your finances and life situation. We will also talk to you about your goals. Based on your wants and needs, we can help you create a will and estate planning documents that will help you meet your goals.
What Will Happen if You Don’t Create a Will?
Some people don’t realize that after they die, if they don’t have a will or trust in place, their estate will be controlled by the state. Washington has statutes in place that will be used to divide and distribute your estate – and it may not be in the way you would have preferred. Unfortunately, the process is often expensive and time-consuming. However, it is possible to avoid the process if you work with a lawyer to develop comprehensive and detailed documents.
Keep in mind that to do this, it is necessary to figure out how to find a good lawyer for wills.
What Will Happen if Your Will is Contested or Challenged?
Even wills that are carefully drafted and supported by other documents in your estate plan can be challenged after you die. There are a few situations that may cause this, including questions related to your mental capacity when you created and signed the will. Other potential reasons your will may be challenged or contested include concerns about fraud or a breach of fiduciary duty, outdated information present in the will, forgery of the will, or technical flaws or factual inaccuracies in the document.
If a will is contested, the administrator of the estate (who is also called the estate executor or personal representative) must continue to ensure they are acting in the beneficiaries’ best interests. The claim that is brought against the estate to challenge the will may cause the will to be deemed valid, invalid, or have some intermittences or gifts being altered or named invalid.
Additional Estate Planning Tools to Consider
When it comes to a wills attorney in Seattle, you can feel confident that our legal team will have your best interests in mind as we work with you to create this document. However, along with a will, there are several other types of required estate documents. These include:
Trusts
A trust can be used in many ways. A common use of a trust is to let someone use the assets they own during their life and then transfer them to their named beneficiaries after they pass away. By doing this, the recipients can claim ownership without having to wait for probate to be complete. In other situations, it’s possible to use trusts to fund a charitable cause or to reduce tax liability.
Estate Tax Issues
We understand estate taxes and how they can impact you while you are alive and after you pass away. We can also provide advice and guidance regarding how to reduce your tax burden if your estate exceeds the state threshold.
Estate Administration
Our legal team can handle multiple administration tasks for representatives of an estate. If you need help or guidance during probate, our attorneys can help. We will provide advice and guidance throughout the process and ensure you fully understand what is going on, no matter how big your estate is or how many assets you have.
How to Find a Good Lawyer for Wills
Finding quality attorneys that do wills in Seattle can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips to help you with this important decision:
Ask for Referrals
It’s smart to get referrals from a financial advisor, CPA, or attorney that you have dealt with before. Chances are, they will know someone who will provide quality estate planning services.
Don’t Rely Exclusively on Online Directories
Watch out for internet “directories” that promise to find you a qualified attorney. These are usually “pay to play” sites, which means they aren’t looking at the attorney’s credentials, just whether they are willing to pay the listing fee. If you want to find the right attorney, take time to research third-party sites.
Find an Attorney That Focuses on Estate Planning Services
There are countless attorneys who may claim to offer estate planning solutions. However, do handle estates only as an occasional sideline? It’s best to find a Seattle estate planning attorney who has significant experience in and knowledge of this area of the law. This is going to ensure that they know how the laws relate to your individual case or situation.
Don’t Pay Attention to Hype and Slogans
Some attorneys pay a lot of money to advertise and market their legal services. You shouldn’t fall for this hype or for catchy slogans. This doesn’t prove that they can handle your case — just that they have money to put into advertising.
Does the Lawyer Have Malpractice Insurance Coverage?
This is a sign that lets you know the attorney is accountable. Mistakes happen, and if an attorney doesn’t have malpractice insurance, there’s no way for you to recoup your losses.
Why Choose Us
Our legal team has been serving clients in and around the Seattle area for more than 25 years. Our attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience and can help with many different legal issues.
When you hire our legal team, you can feel confident that we will help you find solutions to protect your financial well-being. We also help you plan for end-of-life matters, which includes the creation of wills and estate plans. Having peace of mind that your loved ones will be cared for after you pass away is important to you – and to us. You can count on us to provide you with professional and quality legal services, no matter what your needs may be.
FAQs
When it comes to the creation of a will or entire estate plan, having legal guidance is a must. We are here to help. While many questions related to will creation are answered above, we get other questions from our clients, too. Some of the most common are answered here.
You can find documents and guides on how to create a will on your own without the help of an attorney. While this is an option, it’s not recommended. There are many laws and rules that must be applied for your will to be considered legal. In most cases, an attorney will be the only person who can ensure that your will meets all these stipulations. If you file a will without legal assistance, it may not be legally binding when you pass away.
The amount you will pay an estate attorney to draft a will depends on your situation, assets, and other factors. The more complex your financial situation in life, the more skill and time it will take to ensure that your loved ones are appropriately cared for after your death. This would, understandably, increase the cost.
There are no set requirements when it comes to assets to establish a will. Just remember, distributing your assets may have tax implications. Because of this, it’s important to understand how inheritance is going to be taxed as you create your will and make decisions about your estate. Working with Seattle estate planning attorneys is highly recommended to ensure the right steps are taken.
A living will is used for providing health care and end-of-life instructions. A last will is used to distribute assets after you pass away.
Contact Our Legal Team for Help Creating Your Will
If you are ready to create a will, there are more than a few factors to consider. However, one of the best things you can do is to hire our legal team for assistance. We have been providing legal representation for clients for several decades and can review your situation to ensure that you get the best outcome for you and your beneficiaries.
We are here to help you create your will and provide you with advice and guidance at each step of the process. We will also put our knowledge and resources to work for you. Get in touch today to schedule a consultation by calling (206) 621-1110. We will help you have peace of mind that your assets and loved ones are taken care of.
Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess – Seattle Office
1420 5th Ave, Suite 2000
Seattle, WA 98101
