WILLS, ESTATES & TRUSTS
Estate Law is a very complex area of law that deals with the many issues relating to an estate.
Planning for your family’s welfare, tax liabilityand your wishes in the event of incapacitation are choices that are important no matter how large or small your estate may be.
In the absence of a last will and testament or other official estate documents, the state will step in and make decisions on your behalf in the event of your passing. Your estate also may end up in litigation for years to overcome disputes regarding your property and assets.
While undergoing the natural grieving process, the last thing your family and loved ones should be burdened with is a legal battle over your estate or the uncertainty of what decisions the State will make regarding your estate. We should all enjoy the life that we have been given, as well as be prepared for when the time of our passing occurs.
As a law firm providing experienced estate law attorney & lawyer legal services, assisting Parrish Florida and surrounding area residents with estate legal issues, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of each and every client, while always striving to provide the highest standard of legal representation.
If you are dealing with estate legal issues or disputes, make sure your legal rights are protected by seeking the legal advice of an experienced Lakeland estate law attorney & lawyer by contacting The Parrish Law Office, (941) 208-3030.
Estate Law legal services we provide include but are not limited to:
Guardianship
A guardianship is defined as the appointment of an individual as a guardian to make decisions on behalf of another who is unable to make such decisions because they are either legally incompetent or are a minor child. This appointment is officially made during the probate process.
The guardian is the legally appointed person who will manage personal affairs and health care decisions, the management of the finances, or other designated decisions for an individual or individuals relating to the person and their estate. The appointed guardian is typically a family member or an attorney.
As a law firm providing experienced guardianship attorney & lawyer legal services, assisting Parrish Florida and surrounding area residents with guardianship and other estate law legal issues, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of each and every client, while always striving to provide the highest standard of legal representation.
If you are dealing with guardianship legal issues or disputes, make sure your legal rights are protected by seeking the legal advice of an experienced Lakeland guardianship attorney & lawyer by contacting The Parrish Law Office, at (941) 208-3030.
A Guardianship is an important tool that may help protect your legal rights, financesand estate in the unfortunate event of incapacitation or diminished mental or physical capabilities. A guardianship may also be designed to protect the rights of your minor children if you are incapacitated, have diminished mental or physical capabilities, or in the event of your passing.
When dealing with guardianship legal issues or disputes, it is important to seek the legal advice and representation of an experienced guardianship attorney or lawyer as soon as possible, as the longer you wait to obtain legal representation may directly affect your ability to achieve a successful outcome. Contact The Parrish Law Office, today (941) 208-3030.
We provide professional guardianship attorney & lawyer legal services in Parrish Florida and surrounding areas. We urge you to be proactive in protecting your legal rights.
Last Will and Testament
A Last Will and Testament, commonly referred to as a “Will”, is an official legal document which is drafted to provide your final instructions and wishes relating to how your property and assets are to be distributed in the event of your passing.
An individual who has a “will” is able to legally change their last will and testament as many times as they desire, providing they are of sound mind and are not under the control of drugs or other substances which may impair their judgment for making responsible decisions.
As a law firm providing experienced last will and testament attorney & lawyer legal services, assisting Parrish Florida and surrounding area residents with last will and testament, and other estate law legal issues, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of each and every client, while always striving to provide the highest standard of legal representation.
If you are dealing with last will and testament legal issues or disputes, make sure your legal rights are protected by seeking the legal advice of an experienced Lakeland last will and testament attorney & lawyer by contacting The Parrish Law Office, at (941) 208-3030.
Depending upon the size of your estateand individuals or organizations which may be affected by your passing, a last will and testament may address issues such as:
No matter how well an individual’s last will and testament may be drafted, any family member or directly affected individuals may choose to contest the will. Common factors of which may lead to the last will and testament dispute may include what is perceived as an unfair distribution of assets or property, or situations in which family members who have been estranged for many years may suddenly question being left out of the dispersal of assets.
Other reasons a last will and testament may be disputed include, but are not limited to:
When dealing with last will and testament legal issues or disputes, it is important to seek the legal advice and representation of an experienced last will and testament attorney or lawyer as soon as possible, as the longer you wait to obtain legal representation may directly affect your ability to achieve a successful outcome. Contact The Parrish Law Office, today (941) 208-3030.
We provide professional last will and testament attorney & lawyer legal services in Parrish Florida and surrounding areas. We urge you to be proactive in protecting your legal rights.
Living Wills
A Living Will is a legal document which declares your wishes regarding life-sustaining medical treatment, nutritionand hydration by artificially or technologically supplied meansand other medical treatment decisions based upon specific medical conditions, specific medical scenarios, terminal illnesses, or medical situations that are deemed to lead to terminal illnesses or conditions.
A living will only be implemented in the event that you are in a terminal condition, in a permanently unconscious state, or are medically deemed unable to make current medical decisions on your own behalf, due to your current mental state.
As a law firm providing experienced living will attorney & lawyer legal services, assisting Parrish Florida and surrounding area residents with living will and other estate law legal issues, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of each and every client, while always striving to provide the highest standard of legal representation.
If you are dealing with living will legal issues or disputes, make sure your legal rights are protected by seeking the legal advice of an experienced Lakeland living will attorney & lawyer by contacting The Parrish Law Office, at (941) 208-3030.
A “permanently unconscious state” is defined as an irreversible condition in which you are permanently unaware of your surroundings, or mental & physical state. In order to be legally deemed in a permanently unconscious state, your physician and one other physician must examine you and agree that the total loss of higher brain function has rendered you unable to feel pain or suffering.
A living will is an important tool to aid your loved ones in ensuring your intentions are clear regarding medical treatment based upon specific conditions and circumstances. Having a current living will provides your family the opportunity to know your wishes, while provide them some level of solace during a difficult time, knowing you are receiving treatment in the manner which you have consciously chosen.
When dealing with living will legal issues or disputes, it is important to seek the legal advice and representation of an experienced living will attorney or lawyer as soon as possible, as the longer you wait to obtain legal representation may directly affect your ability to achieve a successful outcome. Contact The Parrish Law Office, today (941) 208-3030.
We provide professional living will attorney & lawyer legal services in Parrish Florida and surrounding areas. We urge you to be proactive in protecting your legal rights.
Probate & Probate Litigation
There are many legal issues that may arise regarding the administration and distribution of an estate during the probate process. When these issues arise in the form of contesting the will or distribution of property and assets, probate litigation may be needed in order to successfully resolve various issues relating to estate, asset, will, or property disputes.
Probate litigation disputes may range from contested wills, breach of fiduciary duty, to issues regarding undue influence, or a whole host of other contested points of interest.
As a law firm providing experienced probate and probate litigation attorney & lawyer legal services, assisting Parrish Florida and surrounding area residents with probate and other estate law legal issues, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of each and every client, while always striving to provide the highest standard of legal representation.
If you are dealing with probate or probate litigation legal issues or disputes, make sure your legal rights are protected by seeking the legal advice of an experienced Lakeland probate attorney & lawyer by contacting The Parrish Law Office, (941) 208-3030.
Probate litigation legal issues typically involve:
Other legal issues that will be addressed by the court while transferring assets and properties to the designated beneficiaries while in probate may include appraisals, tax consequences for beneficiaries, estate taxes, or any other legal conditions associated with the transfer of property and assets in the event of an individuals passing.
Probate and probate litigation can be very complex and may be drawn out over long periods of time, depending upon the veracity of the contenting party and the number of issues that are in dispute.
Our mission in probate litigation disputes is to aggressively represent our clients with every legal resource available.
When dealing with probate or probate litigation legal issues or disputes, it is important to seek the legal advice and representation of an experienced probate attorney or lawyer as soon as possible, as the longer you wait to obtain legal representation may directly affect your ability to achieve a successful outcome. Contact The Parrish Law Office, today (941) 208-3030.
We provide professional probate attorney & lawyer legal services in Parrish Florida and surrounding areas. We urge you to be proactive in protecting your legal rights.
Power of Attorney
For most people, a durable power of attorney is the most important estate planning instrument available; even more useful than a will. A power of attorney allows you to appoint a person you trust (called your “attorney-in-fact”) to act in your placeand on your behalf, for financial purposes in the event, you ever become incapacitated.
The individual you choose to represent your interests, by granting them power of attorney, will be able to step in and take care of your financial affairs. In the absence of a durable power of attorney, the only way to have someone represent your financial affairs is if the courts appoint a conservator or guardian.
The court process to appoint a conservator or guardian may take a considerable period of time, costs moneyand you may run the risk of having a judge choose someone other than the person you may have a preference for. In addition, under a guardianship or conservatorship, your representative may have to seek court permission to take planning steps that he (or she) could implement immediately under a simple durable power of attorney.
As a law firm providing experienced power of attorney legal services, assisting Parrish Florida and surrounding area residents with power of attorney and other estate law legal issues, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of each and every client, while always striving to provide the highest standard of legal representation.
If you are dealing with power of attorney legal issues or disputes, make sure your legal rights are protected by seeking the legal advice of an experienced Lakeland power of attorney, lawyer by contacting The Parrish Law Office, at (941) 208-3030.
A power of attorney may be limited or general. A limited power of attorney may give someone the right to sign a deed to property on a day when you are out of town. Or it may allow someone to sign checks for you. A general power of attorney is more comprehensive and gives your attorney-in-fact all the powers and rights that you have yourself.
A power of attorney may also be either current or “springing.” Most powers of attorney take effect immediately upon their execution, even if the understanding is that they will not be used until and unless the grantor becomes incapacitated. However, the document can also be written so that the power of attorney does not become effective until such incapacity occurs. In dealing with incapacity, it is extremely important that the standard for determining incapacity and triggering the power of attorney be clearly identified and noted in the document itself.
While you should seriously consider executing a durable power of attorney if you do not have someone you trust to appoint it may be more appropriate to have the probate court looking over the shoulder of the person who is handling your affairs through a guardianship or conservatorship. In that case, you may execute a limited durable power of attorney simply nominating the person you want to serve as your conservator or guardian. Most states require the court to respect your nomination “except for good cause or disqualification.”
It is important that you understand that in recent years, individuals have been experiencing increasing difficulty in getting banks or other financial institutions to recognize the authority of an agent under a durable power of attorney. A certain amount of caution on the part of financial institutions is understandable: When someone steps forward claiming to represent the account holder, the financial institution wants to verify that the attorney-in-fact indeed has the authority to act for the principal. Still, some institutions go overboard, for example: requiring that the attorney-in-fact indemnify them against any loss. Many banks or other financial institutions have their own standard power of attorney forms. To avoid problems, you may want to execute such forms offered by the institutions with which you have accounts. In addition, many attorneys counsel their clients to create living trusts in part to avoid this sort of problem with powers of attorney.
When dealing with power of attorney legal issues or disputes, it is important to seek the legal advice and representation of an experienced legal counsel as soon as possible, as the longer you wait to obtain legal representation may directly affect your ability to achieve a successful outcome. Contact The Parrish Law Office, today (941) 208-3030.
We provide professional power of attorney, lawyer legal services in Parrish Florida and surrounding areas. We urge you to be proactive in protecting your legal rights.
From probate to probate litigation process, it is extremely important to know your legal rights, options, benefits of various estate-related programsand how to protect those rights for yourself and your designated beneficiaries.
When dealing with estate law legal issues or disputes, it is important to seek the legal advice and representation of an experienced estate law attorney or lawyer as soon as possible, as the longer you wait to obtain legal representation may directly affect your ability to achieve a successful outcome. Contact The Parrish Law Office, today at (941) 208-3030.
We provide professional estate law attorney & lawyer legal services in Parrish Florida and surrounding areas. We urge you to be proactive in protecting your legal rights.