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Estate planning attorney in Lake Mary for wills, trusts and powers of attorney
Revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney and advance directives, built so the plan actually functions on the day it is needed.
An estate plan has two jobs: to control what happens if you become incapacitated, and to transfer what you own with as little cost, delay and conflict as possible. Most plans that fail do not fail because the documents were badly drafted. They fail because the documents were never funded, never updated, or never coordinated with the business.
The firm prepares Florida estate plans for business owners, property owners and families, in English and Spanish, and treats the trust as a system to be implemented rather than a binder to be delivered.
The office is in Lake Mary, and plans are prepared for clients in Lake Mary, Heathrow, Sanford, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, Orlando and Kissimmee. Estate plans are often coordinated with business succession planning and asset protection, so the trust, the operating agreement and any buy-sell agreement describe the same transfer.
Talk it through
Consultations are available in English and Spanish, in person in Lake Mary or by phone and video.
Mon–Thu 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Fri 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
We respond to new inquiries within one business day.
Schedule a ConsultationWills, trusts and powers of attorney: what each document does
Revocable living trust
Holds assets during life and directs their distribution at death, generally avoiding Florida probate for assets properly titled into it. The funding step is where most plans break down.
Last will and testament
Directs assets not held by the trust or by beneficiary designation, names a personal representative, and in Florida is the document that nominates a guardian for minor children.
Durable (financial) power of attorney
Authorizes someone you choose to act on financial and legal matters if you cannot. Florida law requires specific authority to be enumerated, so a generic form frequently fails at the bank.
Living will and health care surrogate
Designates who makes medical decisions and states your wishes on life-prolonging procedures, so the decision is not left to a court or to disagreeing relatives.
Beneficiary and titling review
Retirement accounts, life insurance and payable-on-death accounts pass by designation and override the will. Reviewing them is a required part of the work, not an optional add-on.
Business interest coordination
Assigning LLC and corporate interests into the plan, and confirming the operating agreement and any buy-sell agreement permit and match the intended transfer.
Why plans fail
The trust was never funded
Assets were never retitled into the trust. The trust is valid and empty, and the estate goes through probate anyway.
Beneficiary designations contradict the plan
A retirement account still names an ex-spouse or a deceased parent. That designation controls, no matter what the will says.
The business interest was never assigned
The company remains in the individual's name, and the transfer stalls exactly where the family's largest asset is.
Nobody updated it
Marriages, births, deaths, moves between states, sales and purchases all change the plan. A ten-year-old plan describes a ten-year-old life.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a trust, or is a will enough in Florida?
It depends on what you own and how it is titled. A will alone directs assets through probate, which is a public, court-supervised process with cost and delay. A properly funded revocable trust generally avoids probate for the assets it holds. Business interests and real property in more than one state usually strengthen the case for a trust.
What is probate and how long does it take in Florida?
Probate is the court process that transfers assets held in the decedent's individual name. Formal administration in Florida commonly takes several months to well over a year depending on the estate's complexity and whether disputes arise. Timelines vary by county and by case, so this should be confirmed for your specific situation.
I signed documents years ago. Is a review worth it?
Almost always. The most common findings are an unfunded trust, outdated beneficiary designations, a power of attorney that no longer meets current Florida requirements, and a business interest that was never assigned.
Can the plan be prepared and explained in Spanish?
Yes. Signing documents you do not fully understand defeats the purpose of the plan, so consultations and document explanation are available in English and Spanish.
I moved to Florida from another state. Do my documents still work?
Often they function, but they should be reviewed. Florida has its own requirements for durable powers of attorney, its own homestead rules that affect how a residence can be devised, and its own rules on who may serve as a personal representative. A trust drafted in another state usually remains valid, but the funding, the titling of Florida real property and the ancillary documents frequently need to be updated after a move.
What does a revocable living trust do in Florida?
You usually keep control of the assets during your life and can change the plan. If you become incapacitated, the successor trustee you named can step in, and at death the assets properly titled into the trust generally pass to your beneficiaries without Florida probate. Funding the trust is the step that makes it work.
What is the difference between a durable power of attorney and a health care surrogate?
A durable power of attorney authorizes someone to act on financial and legal matters if you cannot. A health care surrogate designation names who makes medical decisions. They do different jobs, and a complete estate plan usually includes both.
What is a living will?
A living will states your wishes on life-prolonging procedures, so the decision is not left to a court or to disagreeing relatives. It is usually prepared together with a health care surrogate designation.