Denver Estate Planning Lawyer
Serving Your Estate Planning, Probate & Business Succession Planning Needs
Very few of us are excited about the prospect of creating an estate plan. After all who wants to contemplate his or her mortality? There are, however, good reasons to have an estate plan. Perhaps the best reason is that if you don't have a plan, the State of Colorado will "write" one for you - and, not surprisingly, that plan probably will not express your wishes.
Not only is it unlikely that the "state's plan" will reflect your wishes, the process of distributing the estate to the beneficiaries will be costly and time consuming. The average cost is 2-5% of the value of your estate and the process typically takes at least one year - if everything goes well. By planning ahead you can:
- Select your beneficiaries;
- Eliminate (or reduce) the federal estate tax;
- Save thousands of dollars in probate and attorney's fees;
- Provide for minor children, disabled children and grandchildren;
- Equitably distribute estate assets in complicated family situations;
- Provide for the management of your affairs if you become disabled;
- Ensure the smooth transfer of ownership and management of your family business; and
- Avoid burdening your family with the inconvenience and emotional toll of settling your estate
Areas of Practice - Denver Estate Planning Lawyer
Estate planning for the future is not just for the wealthy. To obtain knowledgeable legal advice on estate planning contact the Law Offices of James A. Littlepage in Denver. We will provide you with clear, easy to understand options and skilled and proficient legal advice on many different issues pertaining to estate planning including issues relating to
last will & testament,
powers of attorney,
codicils,
living revocable trust,
irrevocable trusts, and
special needs trust. We are also able to provide knowledgeable and creative legal assistance with subjects pertaining to
family limited partnership,
prenuptial, postnuptial and cohabitation agreements and
living wills. Have questions about
probate avoidance,
benefits of probate or
change of beneficiary? We have the answers that you need. We can also help with complex issues relating to
estate taxes,
charitable remainder trust and
gifting.
As a client of our firm, we welcome your follow-up questions and are happy to provide as much or as little information about the estate planning process as you are comfortable with. We encourage our clients to contact us when they acquire new property or there are changes in the family in order to ensure that their estate plan documents are always up to date.
How else can our firm help you?
Our legal team is also able to assist with elder law advice when the need arises. Elder law issues include those pertaining to powers of attorney,
guardianship,
conservatorship, and
Medicaid planning. If there has been a death in the family, we can provide the guidance you need to attend to all legal matters including
probate and estate administration. These matters also include issues such as
probate litigation,
trust litigation,
probate administration,
trust administration,
breach of fiduciary duty, and
distribution of assets. As Elder Law and estate issues have the power to profoundly impact your life and the lives of your extended family, you need to be confident that you have an experienced professional on your side who will help make the process as smooth as possible. We know that a compassionate legal team goes a long way in alleviating the stress that is commonplace in dealing with these matters and we are ever mindful that our probate and elder law clients are also dealing with loss, whether from death, incapacity or loss of independence.
If you are a business owner, you will want to be sure that your estate planning attorney is also experienced in business matters in order to ensure the best outcome. Our firm provides guidance and advice regarding small business matters, (such as
business succession planning,
corporations / LLC, or
buy-sell agreements), thus streamlining the estate planning process while encompassing the needs of the individual as well as the "owner." We encourage you to contact our firm for professional advice with a friendly attitude.
Knowledgeable Estate Planning Attorney in Denver
Whether you have extensive wealth or just need to educate yourself about probate or elder law issues, we are able to provide you with knowledgeable and practical legal advice at a reasonable cost. For most services we charge a flat fee, and the initial estate planning or probate consultation is complimentary. Having provided excellent service to over 2,500 clients with their estate planning, probate and business succession needs, Mr. Littlepage has been recognized in 2010 &
2011 with a
FIVE STAR Wealth Manager Award as seen in
5280 and
ColoradoBiz magazines. We look forward to providing the same service to you.
Contact a Denver estate planning lawyer
to get the legal advice you need regarding your estate planning.