At The Siegel Law Group, P.A., we have provided Estate Planning guidance to people throughout Florida for almost 20 years. Even if you do not know whether you need an Estate Plan, there is no risk in discussing your options with our attorneys.

Starting From Scratch Or Updating Existing Plans

The benefits of a good Estate Plan are endless. The right plan can keep your estate out of Probate, protect your children's inheritance from divorces, lawsuits, creditors and ensure that your wishes are made clear to your loved ones. Whether you have no Estate Plan in place or have a plan that needs updating, we can help.

Lawyer Barry D. Siegel has almost 20 years of experience helping South Florida residents with all matters of Estate Planning, including:

Wills: Wills are important Estate Planning tools that allow you to decide who receives your property upon your death. If you do not create a Will, state law will make this decision for you (this is called "Intestate Succession").
Revocable Living Trusts: Through a Revocable Living Trust, you can determine how your property should be distributed after your death while avoiding the expensive and time consuming process of Probate. You can name a Trustee to manage the
Trust and distribute property to named Beneficiaries.
Special Needs Planning: Utilizing a Special Needs Trust, we have helped countless families ensure their loved ones with disabilities lead fulfilling lives. Special Needs Trusts allow you to take care of your loved one financially while ensuring he or she continues to receive government benefits.
Powers of Attorney: These documents allow you to name someone you trust to handle your financial, legal and business matters should you become incapacitated or unable to make your own decisions. If you do not sign a Power of Attorney, the court may appoint someone to make these decisions for you.
Healthcare Advance Directives: In Florida, an Advance Directive, which includes a Living Will and Health Care Surrogate Designation (see below), allows you to make important healthcare and end-of-life decisions now such as deciding against life-prolonging procedures in case you are unable to make them in the future due to incapacitation.
Health Care Surrogate Designations: For most of us who reach an old age or become very ill, there comes a time when we are unable to make our own healthcare decisions. The Designation of Health Care Surrogate allows you to name another person to make these decisions for you.
Living Wills: Allows you to guide your health care decision maker as to your wishes whether you would want your life artificially prolonged utilizing machines and feeding tubes.
HIPAA Authorization and Release: Under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, health care providers cannot disclose your health information to anyone including your spouse, children or other family members without a signed HIPAA authorization and release.
All of the above legal documents allow you to decide what happens to you, your property, your loved ones and your healthcare. Without these forms in place, you are at the mercy of state law. Not all of these documents are right for everyone. During your complimentary consultation, Barry D. Siegel will sit down with you to help you create the right Estate Plan for you and your family bloodline.

Keeping It In The Family: Bloodline Planning

For many people, keeping their assets in the family bloodline is extremely important. However, not everyone realizes that this does not automatically happen. In order to prevent assets from leaving the family by way of divorce, death, lawsuits, creditors, or other events, it is important to specifically address this matter in your Estate Plan. We have the experience to make sure your assets stay in your family.

Fostering A Culture Of Trust: Lifetime Guidance

For almost 20 years, we have served the residents of South Florida, we have established long-term relationships with many of our clients. Because each client's well-being is important to us, we continue to provide guidance for every client as long as they need it. We know that a good Estate Plan evolves as your life changes.

Every three years we will review your Estate Plan at no cost to you, and we will always inform you when new state or federal legislation affects your plan.

If a life change such as the birth of a child or divorce makes it necessary to change your Estate Plan, we will work with you to ensure it is modified in a way consistent with changes in your life. That is one of the many reasons that hiring Barry Siegel as your family's Estate Planning attorney can ensure you are protected today and tomorrow.

We know how difficult it is to cope with the loss of a loved one. In addition to the emotional challenges, you may also face the complicated legal processes involved in administering your loved one's estate. Let us help you with this burden.

Because Probate laws are complex and the process can be long and arduous, it is important to work with an experienced Probate attorney. Barry D. Siegel has helped South Florida residents navigate the Probate and Trust Administration processes for almost 20 years.

Compassionate Legal Guidance Through The Probate Process

Probate is the process through which a deceased individual's assets are identified, gathered and distributed. If the decedent had a Will, the property will be distributed according to that Will upon validation by a judge. If the decedent did not have a Will, then Florida law will determine how to distribute the property.

If your loved one or the Court has appointed you as a Personal Representative, your task is to ensure that the estate is administered appropriately, including, but not limited to:

Gathering assets
Notifying creditors of the death and Probate proceeding
Defending the estate against any improper claims, including creditor claims
Paying creditors
Paying taxes
Distributing the estate assets
Failure to properly administer the estate can make you personally liable for any harm to beneficiaries. That is one of the many reasons it is important to work with an attorney. At our law firm, we don't just believe in telling you what duties you have as a Personal Representative. We want to help you ensure that those duties are carried out correctly by handling the matter for you from beginning to end.

Administering A Trust

Many people choose to place some or all of their assets in a Trust as a way to avoid Probate and protect their loved ones from estate taxes. Although a Trust can be administered privately and outside of the courtroom, it still must be distributed correctly.

Lawyer Barry D. Siegel is a steadfast advocate for those going through the difficult process of administering a loved one's estate. He works closely with the Trustee to ensure that the assets are distributed according to the deceased's wishes. It all starts with a complimentary meeting with attorney Barry D. Siegel.

Your First Consultation Is Complimentary And Risk-Free