Estate Planning and Administration
It’s natural to associate the word “estate” with something palatial. The word screams golden opulence and well-groomed horses. But an estate is simply what you as an individual have built and accumulated over a lifetime. An estate can be worth anything from a life insurance policy to millions of dollars. The issue is not the value of the estate, but rather how you decide to leave it to your loved ones once you pass away.
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Our estate planning division designs personalized, strategies to manage living trusts, the appropriate ways of funding the trust, providing for incapacity and the durable power of attorney, advance health care directives, keeping in accordance with HIPAA guidelines, as well as community property agreements and trust certification.
Trust, Will and Power of Attorney Preparation
We do it all from Trusts, Wills, Living Wills, Financial Power of Attorneys, Health Care Power of Attorneys, Mental Health Care Power of Attorneys and much more. Don't let someone sell you an estate plan you don't need. In some cases, families need full blown estate plans. However, in other cases, we're able to plan in other ways: deeds, pay on death designations, etc. We understand that every situation is unique. Let us help you understand what you need, what you don't need, and what you might need in the future.
Planning for Dementia or Incapacity
While difficult, this is an empowering moment. Tooher and Contreras helps in establishing legal plans to better prepare your immediate and extended family with everything from taking inventory of existing legal documents to making legal plans for finances and property and creating plans for future health care preferences.
Estate Administration and Probate
Heirs are entitled to receive their inheritance, but this process is not as cut and dry and one would expect. At Tooher and Contreras Law, we work on complex issues related to heir inheritance, probate, Estate and Trust Administration and more. If you're appointed a Trustee or Personal Representative, be sure to give us a call immediately to understand your rights and obligations.
Real Estate and DMV Auto Transfers
Everyone thinks of their home as their biggest asset. Often times, they are right. Let us make sure your home is properly titled so your heirs can avoid probating your biggest asset.
Although vehicles may be the smallest item in an estate, they often are the hardest to administer. At Tooher and Contreras Law, we know how to approach automobiles in the estate plan to make later administration simple and speedy.
Protecting Children & Special Needs Adults
Keeping beneficiary designations up-to-date and current is the best thing you could do for your family as a whole. Many times young children and/or special needs adults are used as examples of this. Unfortunately, when estates are not reviewed regularly and the language adjusted to take into account the future of these two population groups, should an untimely death occur, they are the first to suffer.
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Tooher and Contreras is a champion for these stakeholder groups, and brings to the table years of advocacy and “best-practice” experience successfully supporting their positions.