The truth is that death is inevitable, and we cannot take our possessions with us when we pass away.
We understand that you have spent your whole life working hard for everything you have, and you want to ensure that your family is taken care of if something happens to you.
However, it can be an onerous, overwhelming responsibility for a loved one’s family to divide your assets amongst themselves after you have passed away. The last thing you want is for your family to fight over your assets.
With proper estate planning, you can ensure that your wishes are honored and prevent disputes. We can help you create a comprehensive estate plan to protect you and the people you love.
Contact Von Rock Law today to learn more about our services!
Estate planning is the preparation of assets-related duties before a person’s death. Usually, this is done using legal documents such as trusts or wills.
When an estate planning lawyer handles this process on behalf of a client, they serve as the client’s legal representative and helps them create a will or trust. They will also ensure that their client understands the relevant aspects of probate law so that the trust or will is valid under the law.
We will guide you through the process and provide the legal advice you need at every step. Here’s what your estate plan will include:
A durable power of attorney typically remains in effect until the testator’s death or the power of attorney’s expiration. A durable power of attorney, the period of which must be expressly stated, remains in force even if you lose your mental capacity and cannot make financial or medical decisions for yourself.
A will is a legally binding declaration of your intentions regarding how your assets will be distributed after your death. This will enable you to respectfully transfer your most priceless possessions to those you care about.
Healthcare directives specify how you would like your medical treatment to be handled if you cannot make health-related choices.
A living trust is an estate planning document that establishes a trust fund with your selected assets. Avoiding probate is among the most common reasons people use trust funds.
You can choose from one of the following estate plans when you choose Von Rock Law:
Book your free consultation today to discuss your situation with a trusted estate planning attorney in Petaluma, CA.
In short, yes. Death is unavoidable. An estate plan protects not only your family and assets, but will also give you peace of mind that your assets will be properly managed when you are gone.
An estate plan created by Von Rock Law is a solution to protecting and preserving your estate in the case that you die or become incapacitated. It contains the following legal documents:
A legal document that places some or all of your assets in the control of a trust during your lifetime
A legal declaration of a person’s wishes regarding the disposal of their property or estate after death
A durable power of attorney refers to a power of attorney which typically remains in effect until the death of the principal or until the document is revoked. A durable power of attorney, the durability of which must be explicitly stated, remains valid even in the event the principal is unable to make personal decisions due to incapacity.
A legal document that explains how you want medical decisions about you to be made if you cannot make the decisions yourself. An advance directive lets your health care team and loved ones know what kind of health care you want, or who you want to make decisions for you when you can’t.
An estate plan not only ensures your family and assets are protected in the case you die or become incapacitated, but it also helps your estate avoid being subjected to probate, a long and costly process.
Our Custom Estate Plan is a comprehensive trust-based estate plan which is appropriate for most estates including those with minor children or other minor beneficiaries, for those requiring protections for beneficiaries and for blended families. This estate plan works toward eliminating probate court proceedings, appointing successors to manage the Trust after your death, and directs the distribution of your assets.
One 30 minute consultation meeting by telephone, video conference or in person
Revocable Living Trust
Certification of Living Trust
Last Will & Testament **
Durable Power of Attorney **
Advanced Health Care Directive **
Authorization of Release of Medical Records (“HIPAA”) **
Assignment of Personal Property **
Personal Property Memorandum **
Trust Transfer Deed (one property)
Recording Deed with county recorder
One opportunity to request edits to above documents with respect to client-provided information
Recording fees included
Preliminary Change of Ownership Report
Final signing meeting
Complete instructions regarding plan
Notary fees included
Personalized estate planning binder with all original documents
Digital PDF copies of your entire plan
Additional Deeds with ancillary documents and recording fees begin at $1000 for California properties and for out of state US properties, subject to confirmation of non-California recording fees.
Up to five hours with our staff for emails, phone calls, zooms or in person meetings to address your questions regarding the maintenance of your estate plan, funding, coordination with agents, potential amendments, family meetings or other ongoing trust maintenance concerns.
A 5% discount on billable matters for which you may further retain us, such as drafting additional plan documents and amendments, or for another practice area.
Deluxe custom estate plans are appropriate for individuals with substantial assets and sophisticated planning needs, and who require estate tax planning features for estates exceeding the estate tax threshold of $12,060,000 for individuals or $24,120,000 in community property for married couples. These plans include all of the offerings of the Custom Estate plan, but will also address such circumstances such as complicated blended families, citizenship issues, multiple real estate holdings, multiple beneficiary designations, integrated special needs trusts, or otherwise more sophisticated distribution plans.
We are offer a college care plan that will allow parents to still be able to act for their 18+ children for medical, financial and legal purposes, and to distribute the child’s assets should the child pre-decease the parent. This plan includes a Durable Power of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directive, HIPAA and Simple Will which identifies not more than two beneficiaries with outright inheritance. Further, this plan includes a generic FERPA Consent Form that will authorize parents to communicate with a college regarding the student’s classes, transcripts, grades and more. Many educational institutions will have their own forms for this Consent which may be required, but if not, our standard form should be accepted.
This plan includes a 30 minute consultation and the cost of online notary fees arranged by this office. Digital and paper copies of the plan documents will be provided.
Estate Plan revisions are provided on an hourly basis and estimates of the projected cost are provided to the client before work commences. Simple revisions to Estate Plans are often in the 2 – 3 hour range, with more complex revisions taking longer, bearing in mind that each circumstance is unique.
PLEASE NOTE – We will not amend plans that we did not draft. We will prepare re-statements of Trusts and new documents for planning documents we did not generate.