Estate Planning and Probate

We offer Estate Planning services with specialization in the following areas.

Trust and Wills

Rendueles Law specializes in Trusts and Wills.

Powers of Attorney and Living Wills

Durable Powers of Attorney. A Durable Power of Attorney is an important and powerful legal document. By signing a Durable Power of Attorney, you are authorizing another person, the agent, to act for you, the principal. This document gives your agent the powers to manage, dispose of, sell, and convey your real and personal property, to use your property as security if your agent borrows money on your behalf, and to sign your tax returns. This applies to property you now have or might acquire in the future. Accordingly, your agent needs to be a person you trust completely.

Combination Living Will and Designation of Health Care Surrogate. The Combination Living Will and Designation of Health Care Surrogate allows the designated person or persons to consent to medical care on your behalf should you suffer an injury or become mentally disabled and cannot make a decision for yourself. The document is effective immediately. The Combination Living Wills and Designation of Health Care Surrogates are designed to become effective if either of you becomes unable to make your own health care decisions and that fact is certified in writing by your physician. Additionally, the surrogate you appoint may consent, refuse to consent, or withdraw consent to medical treatment and may make decisions about withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment. Unless you state otherwise, your surrogate has the same authority to make decisions about your health care as you would have had. Furthermore, and importantly, the document serves as your statement that you do not want your life to be artificially prolonged. That Living Will portion is a statement of your intentions irrespective of if your surrogate is present to make health care decisions.

Other Important Estate Planning Tools

Separate Writing Memorandum. The form entitled Separate Writing Memorandum is a very simple form designed to assist you in preparing a listing of the persons you wish to receive your important personal belongings when you pass away. The list you prepare using this form will not be a Will, nor will it be a Codicil to your Will. Rather, it is simply a memorandum from you to the persons who survive you regarding the disposition of certain personal items. Although there is no urgency to completing this form, you should endeavor to finish it as soon as possible. Once you have completed it, you may change it at any time.

Declaration Naming Preneed Guardian. In the event that someone will need to be named as your legal guardian, the Declaration of Preneed Guardian is a statement to the court of who you would or, sometime more importantly, who would not like to be named as guardian of your person and/or property.

Appointment of Agent to Control Disposition of Remains.

Consultation Regarding Titling of Assets for Probate Avoidance

Estate Administration

Trust Administration