Estate Planning Attorney in McAllen

Providing Compassionate Services to Clients Planning for Their Futures and the Futures of Their Loved Ones in South Texas

Nobody wants to consider our mortality and what should happen to our loved ones after we are gone from this earth. But the sad fact of the matter is that none of us gets out of this world alive, and we need to discuss how our estates and assets are handled upon our deaths. If you do not take steps to plan for your future today, the state may decide what happens to your personal property tomorrow.

The surest way to plan for the future and the unexpected that could befall us is with comprehensive estate planning.

Estate planning rubs shoulders with legal matters concerning elder law, family law, and even real estate transactions and business law. Wills are the foundation upon which virtually all estate plans are built, but some individuals and families may benefit from additional estate planning measures.

Our South Texas legal practice is unwaveringly dedicated to our clients and all matters concerning estate law, probate, and related practice areas. We are proud to provide a personalized approach, as we know that no two cases are exactly alike and everyone has their own estate planning needs they hope to meet.

To learn more, schedule your free consultation with an estate planning lawyer at our law office today.

What Estate Planning Practice Areas Can Our Law Firm Assist You With?

An estate plan typically includes a few key documents that your professional legal representative prepares. The primary estate planning documents you will likely consider in Texas include your last will and testament, different powers of attorney documents, a living will, and HIPAA authorization. What estate planning tools are right for you and your goals will depend upon your unique family dynamics, business interests, complexity of estate assets, and more.

The estate planning services we provide include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Drafting, revising, and challenging wills
• Various types of trusts, including revocable and irrevocable trusts
• Asset protection planning
• Modifications to trusts and other estate planning documents
• Formation of limited liability companies and family limited partnerships
• Business succession planning
• Powers of attorney
• Advanced healthcare directives
• Gift planning
• Tax planning
• Beneficiary designations for retirement accounts and life insurance
• Charitable planning
• Elder law
• Long-term care planning
• Medicaid planning and disability planning
• Guardianship and conservatorship
• Different types of deeds
• Probate litigation and estate litigation
• Trust administration and estate administration
• And more

Our compassionate legal team is here to assist you through all steps of the estate planning process, from creating the estate planning documents to updating and revising them in instances of divorce, bankruptcy, and other life changes, assisting your family members through probate after you are gone, and engaging in litigation if that becomes necessary.

What is Involved in Elder Law?

While we recommend that every adult in McAllen and South Texas have an estate plan, this may be especially true for aging individuals and those planning for retirement. Elder law focuses mainly on the needs of individuals and families as they reach their golden years, handling issues such as senior housing, nursing home care, Medicaid or Medicare, guardianships and conservatorships, and various healthcare documents.

Those who plan for certain inevitabilities, like the need to rely upon Medicaid for long-term care and assistance, will have an easier time at it than those who wait until the last moment. There are strategies you can take well before applying for Medicaid that will permit you to legally and ethically decrease your countable assets so that you may qualify for government benefits. In cases where long-term care is more immediate, you can also explore options to provide asset protection and ensure that your family members benefit from all your hard-earned assets instead of seeing those assets go to the state.

If you need legal guidance in elder law, please get in touch with our McAllen law office to schedule your free initial consultation today.

Does Estate Planning Provide Asset Protection Measures?

The primary goal of an asset protection strategy is to shield your property and assets from being claimed in divorce proceedings, lawsuits, claims, and predatory behavior.

Asset protection strategies are not reserved only for the super wealthy. We will review your circumstances and determine what strategy is most suitable for your needs.

Some of the different asset protection plans we may recommend include the following:

• Medicaid plan trusts
• Annual gift exemptions
• Irrevocable life insurance trusts
• Marital deduction trusts
• Special needs trusts
• Qualified domestic trusts
• Charitable planning
• Liability protection
• Third-party discretionary trusts
• Limited partnerships and limited liability companies
• And more

Contact Us to Schedule a Free Consultation with a Knowledgeable Estate Planning Lawyer in McAllen, McAllen,

It is often not enough to simply create your estate plan and then sit back and hope it reflects your changing life circumstances as you grow older. There may be reasons to regularly update or revise your estate plan, such as divorce, marriage, death of a beneficiary, birth of a new child, purchase or sale of a business, and more.

While we tend to think that estate planning is something to consider only for matters of end-of-life decisions and what happens after death, some estate planning tools can benefit you and your loved ones while you are still alive.

To learn more about the estate planning process and what documents may benefit your needs, please contact our McAllen law firm, serving South Texas, to schedule your free, no-obligation case evaluation with the attorney today. You can reach us at 956-707-3610.