Estate Planning. This area includes preparation of wills, health care powers of attorney, living wills, financial powers of attorney, revocable living trusts, charitable trusts and other trust vehicles with specific purposes. An effective estate planning attorney must be conversant in many areas, because there is more to estate planning than filling blanks on a form:

-- Tax Planning. Many estates that are not currently subject to estate tax, will be taxable in 2011 unless Congress changes the tax code. And, even "simple" estate planning (if there is such a thing!) involve income tax issues.

-- Retirement plans, IRAs, annuities. Choice of beneficiaries and distribution methods, especially with a trust, have significant tax consequences. Your estate planning should include competent advice in this area.
-- Asset analysis and transfers. Even the fairly simple task of avoiding probate will not be met unless you are properly advised. We can provide written documentation for most assets.


 Domestic Partner Agreements. There is no body of law governing unmarried couples, and therefore these agreements require detail and specificity, not just filling in names and properties on a form. We meet with both partners and prepare the agreement, but in most cases we only represent one partner, referring the other to an independent, competent attorney who can quickly and efficiently advise the other partner. Otherwise, we leave the partners, and ourselves from an ethical standpoint, subject to later disputes or lawsuits. You will not find an attorney representing both sides in a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, and a domestic partner agreement is no less significant.

 Probate. Occasionally a probate is required (no trust or asset planning), or suggested (creditor issues, etc.). Probate frequently involves income and estate tax issues. Your attorney should be qualified for all these aspects.


 Business law. This area includes self-employed individuals as well as business entities such as corporations and limited liability companies. Documentation and advice includes drafting agreements between shareholders or members of the entity, split-offs and dissolution, transfers of ownership, purchase or sale of a business, and ongoing business matters.

 Qualified retirement plans. Qualified retirement plans allow deferral of income tax and tax-deferred growth. We offer advice on plan design, and we integrate this area into your estate planning and business planning.

 Other areas of practice. We may be able to assist you with other matters. If your question is not within our areas of practice, we will refer you to an attorney who is qualified in that area of the law. Having practiced law for 25 years in both large and small law firms, Doug knows qualified attorneys in most areas of the law.