Experienced Representation from Attorneys You Can Trust

1. Take an inventory of what you have.

2. Get a solid will. The cornerstone of every estate plan is a great will.

3. Decide whether you need a trust. Not everyone wants or needs a trust.

4. Get a Power of Attorney to make financial decisions for you in case of incapacity.

5. Get a Healthcare Power of Attorney to allow someone to make healthcare decisions for you.

6. Sign a HIPPA release so that important people will have access to your medical records when it matters.

7. Ensure your beneficiaries are up to date and comply with your estate plan.

There are a number of common issues small business owners run into that we help with:

1. LLC formation with solid Operating Agreements.

2. Contracts for everything from employees to independent contractors.

3. Website terms and conditions and privacy policies.

4. Real Estate issues like negotiating commercial leases or purchasing a property of your own.

5. Intellectual property issues like trademarking and copywriting.

Think of a will as a petition for probate— you literally file an original will with your opening probate documents. A trust, on the other hand, avoids probate altogether by moving assets into a separate entity called a trust prior to your death. This allows your beneficiaries to access the contents of your trust according to your trust documents.

Probate is a legal process that transfers your loved one’s estate to their beneficiaries after they pass.

Not all estates need to go through probate (i.e. if there is a trust in place or the estate is small enough), and not all probates need a lawyer.

A first offense DWI is a misdemeanor.

You will need to deal with your court case as well as an administrative hearing regarding your license.

The possible consequences for a DWI varies based on a number of factors including: your BAC score, whether there were children in the vehicle with you, and whether you took the field sobriety tests.

If you are convicted of a DWI first offense, the possible penalties can include getting an interlock, jail time, probation, and fines and fees.

It is important to talk to a lawyer immediately after you are charged with a DWI first offense.

For many people, a will is a perfectly sufficient form of estate planning. But for some people, a trust offers clear benefits. If you fall into any of the following categories, a trust may be helpful for you:

1. You are in a blended family.

2. Your family will run into tax consequences after you pass and you want to mitigate those.

3. You own your own business.

4. Your beneficiaries are minors or have special needs and can’t manage their own finances.

5. You want to have control over some or all your assets years after you pass.

It’s excellent that you and your ex were able to work out an agreement on your own. However, there are a couple of things you should know:

1. The custody order the Court entered last is the controlling order. That means that until a new Custody Order is filed, your old one is the one the legal system will rely on.

2. Your child support may change. That’s because your child support is based on a variety of things, including the amount of time the kids are with each parent, the parents’ income, and other financial factors. A change in support doesn’t happen each time custody is modified, but it happens often enough that you should be aware of the possibility.

3. Courts often agree on changes in custody, but not always. It’s usually worth visiting with a lawyer, even if you don’t hire one, to understand your rights and make sure your new custody order addresses all of the important issues in your circumstances.

One of the most common issues we’ve seen with small businesses is confusion around the difference between independent contractors and employees.

Getting this distinction right is important— if you misclassify a person as an independent contractor instead of an employee, you’ll be liable for at least back wages and back taxes, but could also face other penalties including a $1000 fine per misclassified employee.