Estate Planning

At The Law Offices of Daniel Hunt, we offer our clients personalized, comprehensive estate planning. We focus our law practice exclusively on probate and estate planning matters. Our experienced staff is skilled in handling the most basic estate planning as well as incredibly complex estate planning issues. Our estate planning attorneys work closely with clients to prepare wills, trusts, and any other legal documents that are necessary to carry out the goals of our clients.

As busy Americans, it is easy to put off planning for the future. Many Americans lack a will or any other kind of estate plan. When a California resident passes away without a will, the state probate courts determine who will receive the assets of the deceased. Estate plans allow Californians to direct the distribution of their estate according to their goals.

Making an estate plan can help the family of a loved one who passes away. Comprehensive California estate plans make it easy for loved ones to access necessary accounts and information. Estate plans also honor the wishes of the deceased. The skilled Sacramento estate planning attorneys at The Law Offices of Daniel Hunt can help you set up a comprehensive estate plan. We tailor our clients’ estate plans to their individual needs. Contact our Sacramento law office today to schedule your initial consultation.

WHY SHOULD CALIFORNIANS CREATE ESTATE PLANS?

Taking the time to engage in thorough estate planning is extremely beneficial. Creating a well-thought-out estate plan can help you:

• Define your wishes regarding end-of-life treatment or other critical medical decisions
• Care for a spouse, significant other, or domestic partner after your death
• Reduce or, in some cases, eliminate expensive probate-related costs
• Minimize estate taxes, allowing more assets to pass to surviving family members
• Disperse property per your wishes
• Provide for a special needs child, the needs of an elderly parent, or another beneficiary who would benefit from a trust structured to meet their needs for life

CALIFORNIA WILL LAWYERS

For thousands of years, people have created some form of a Last Will and Testament to direct the distribution of their assets after death. Executing a will can be a relatively simple process. However, the testator who is creating the will must create it in compliance with California law. California only recognizes written wills as valid. The will can be typed or handwritten. Testators cannot simply scratch out parts of their will or add new sections by hand. Doing so may expose the will to challenges.

If you would like to create a will, one of the attorneys at The Law Offices of Daniel Hunt can help you. We can also help you create a valid codicil (addition) to your will or help you revoke your old will and create a new one if necessary.

The testator must be at least 18 years old and of sound mind when they sign and date the will. At least two people must witness the testator sign the will and must sign themselves. Witnesses must sign an affidavit stating that the testator had the mental capacity to create the will. Finally, a will must designate one or more beneficiaries who will receive the assets of the estate.

If you are concerned that your current will is not legally valid in the state of California, we can help. Contact our law office today to schedule an initial appointment. One of our estate planning attorneys can discuss any legal issues with your will and advise you going forward.

CALIFORNIA TRUST ATTORNEYS

Trusts are legal entities that own and transfer property. Trusts are useful estate planning tools. For most California homeowners, a revocable living trust offers numerous benefits including avoiding a California probate upon your death. Trusts can shield assets from tax liability. Trusts also allow for the smooth and automatic transfer of ownership of assets at the death of the trust creator or grantor. Our clients often enjoy the privacy that trusts provide.

At The Law Offices of Daniel Hunt, we help many clients create trusts to transfer their assets to beneficiaries smoothly. One of the best aspects of using trusts in estate planning is that we can easily tailor your trust to meet your specific needs and goals. We have created all of the following kinds of trusts:

• Irrevocable Trusts
• Revocable Living Trusts
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
• Special Needs Trusts
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts
• Charitable Remainder Trusts
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts
• Intentional Defective Grantor Trusts

HIPAA AUTHORIZATIONS AND ADVANCE HEALTHCARE DIRECTIVE SACRAMENTO ATTORNEYS

In addition to creating wills and trusts, we also help our clients make Advance Healthcare Directives (AD). An AD designates an agent to make decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated and unable to make critical end-of-life and other healthcare decisions. In addition to appointing a healthcare agent, creators of AD can give instructions about their wishes and goals in the event of incapacitation. Many clients include the types of treatments they would like to help keep them alive.

An AD also specifies whether you would like to receive life support in the case of a coma. More generally, this document allows you to define what having a good quality of life means for you. Every AD should include a HIPAA waiver that allows medical caretakers to discuss your treatment and condition with your authorized agents.

DURABLE POWERS OF ATTORNEY FOR PERSONAL AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Durable Powers of Attorney are legal forms often used in estate planning. A Durable Power of Attorney ensures that an appointed agent can make financial decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. Our estate planning attorneys help our clients create tailored Durable Power of Attorney documents.

CONTACT OUR LAW FIRM TO DISCUSS YOUR ESTATE PLAN

Taking the time to create a comprehensive estate plan is critical for everyone. At The Law Offices of Daniel Hunt, we have helped many clients and their families develop effective and personalized estate plans. Whether you already have an estate plan that you would like to update or you would like to create your first estate plan, we can help. Contact our law office today to schedule your initial consultation with our Sacramento, Folsom, or Roseville offices. We offer in-person, virtual, and telephone appointments for your convenience.