Bellingham Wills & Estate Planning Lawyer

Sound estate planning helps to avoid estate and trust disputes. With years of experience in estate and trust disputes, we have learned from others’ mistakes. We have seen how well intentioned, but ineffective, estate plans can fall apart. We have seen situations where families do not get what their deceased family member wanted because the plan was not correctly implemented. We have seen situations where the laws of intestacy and other laws distribute someone’s hard earned nest egg to legal heirs that would not have received it if an estate plan been in place. We have also seen cases where a substantial portion of the estate goes to legal fees. We put our experience to work for our clients and help them to implement sound strategies that take care of their loved ones and keep them out of court.

Simple wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives are provided for a flat fee. We provide more complex estate planning, including trusts, on an hourly basis or for a flat fee, depending on the nature of the work.

It pays to have your estate plan reviewed from time to time. Laws change, and outdated estate planning can cost you or your heirs. This is especially true for estate plans that were put in place before 2013. Older estate plans, for example, may have given up the stepped up basis tax benefit in order to avoid triggering the estate tax. That may no longer be necessary. Your trust may need to be “decanted.” Call to see how we can help.