What does a probate attorney do? Well, a probate attorney provides a plethora of valuable services to clients. You may be wondering about the practice areas that a probate attorney covers. At Bret Jones P.A., our practice area cover various probate law matters including: Wills & Trusts, Livings Wills, Powers of Attorney, Preneed Guardian Designations, Health Care Surrogate Designations, Estate Planning, and Probate Administration. We offer comprehensive legal care in each of these probate areas. Our team of probate attorneys and legal staff are keen to provide the best legal care possible. What does a probate attorney do? Let’s take a look at some of the areas that we practice in probate law.
Wills & Trusts
Wills & Trusts are probably the first thing that may come to your mind when you think of a probate attorney, or if you ask what does a probate attorney do? It’s one of the most common areas that are practiced in probate law. You’ve probably heard of wills before. Wills are written documents that are created by people from all walks of life. The purpose of a will is to determine who will get your property after you have passed on. On occasion, wills are sometimes avoided because some people do not want to deal with preparing for what happens after they pass on. Unfortunately, that can cause great stress on your loved ones. If you do not draft a will, the State of Florida decides how your assets will be divided. The State of Florida, as with most states, has statutes that determine who will receive your property and how it will be divided among any possible heirs.
A trust, on the other hand, is a document that may supplement a will. A trust is created to manage assets during your lifetime. In addition, a trust document specifies what is to be done with those assets after your death. Because of this similarity, wills & trusts are often discussed hand in hand, although they are different. At Bret Jones, P.A. will can answer any questions you may have about will & trusts. Based on your desires, we can help you determine what path would be best for to you take. Will & trusts are just one of the many probate areas that we practice at Bret Jones, P.A. What does a probate attorney do? At Bret Jones, P.A. we cover all of our client’s probate needs.
Living Wills
What does a probate attorney do? Well, another thing that we do is help our clients create a living will. You may have heard some people refer to a living will as an advanced healthcare directive. Sadly, life is very unpredictable. It is best to be as prepared as possible for the curve balls that life may throw us. With a living will, you can make the difficult decisions about possible medical treatment and interventions before they ever happen. This alleviates any difficult decisions your loved ones may have to make in case you are incapacitated. If you are unable speak your mind about how to proceed in any medical treatment and you do not have a living will, then no one knows how you would truly like to proceed. Make sure that your wishes are fulfilled in case of an unfortunate circumstance. Don’t leave it a guessing game for those who are to make that decision for you.
Powers of Attorney
A Power of Attorney is also a practice area of probate law that we address at Bret Jones, P.A. A power of attorney is a document that gives a specific person authorization to act on the behalf of another. Now, what that person, also known as the “agent”, is authorized to act on depends on the specific details of the document. One could create a power of attorney in order to have the agent deal with finances, health care decisions, and much more. What does a probate attorney do, especially when it comes to a power of attorney? When it comes to power of attorney, we do cover a lot of ground depending on the specific needs of our clients. Contact us at Bret Jones, P.A. for further information on powers of attorney, also known as a “POA”.
Preneed Guardian Designations & Florida Guardian Designations
At Bret Jones, P.A., another area of probate that we practice is Preneed Guardian Designations. A Preneed Guardian Desgination is a declaration that specifies another person who can take care of your affairs in case of your incapacitation. According to Fla. Stat. 744.3045(1),“A competent adult may name a preneed guardian by making a written declaration that names such guardian to serve in the event of the declarant’s incapacity.” This means that if anything happens to you that makes you incapacitated, whatever the reason may be, this person will take care of all of you affairs. Perhaps something that may be overlooked, a Preneed Guardian Designation is important. Unfortunately, accidents and unforeseen circumstances do happen. This is one way to make sure that you and your loved ones have one less decision to make or consider if such a circumstance does occur.
Health Care Surrogate Designations & Florida Health Care Surrogates
A Health Care Surrogate Designation is exactly what it sounds like. When you meet with a probate attorney, we help you arrange who you want to act as your health care surrogate. The purpose of a health care surrogate is to designate someone who will make health care decisions for you in case of your incapacity. This does not necessarily have to be permanent incapacitation, but can be for times when you are only temporarily incapacitated as well. Although the health care surrogate designation may sound similar to the preneed guardian designation, there is a difference. Speak with us at Bret Jones, P.A. for further detailed explanations.
Estate Planning
Estate planning is a common practice area of probate law. As you can imagine, estate planning involves the detailed planning of what happens to your estate upon your passing. Your estate includes financial assets, real property, personal property, and more. When you take the time to speak with a probate attorney about estate planning, many areas can be addressed. Taxes, funeral arrangements, and transfer of property are just some of the areas that will be discussed with a probate attorney. At Bret Jones, P.A., we are determined to help answer all of your questions, and guide you so that all of your estate planning desires are met. We ensure that all of our client’s wishes are met to the best of our ability.
Probate Administration & Florida Probate Administration
Probate administration deals with the process of distributing a person’s assets once they have passed, in addition to other factors. It includes paying the deceased person’s debts, and the general winding up of their affairs. In Florida, there are different types of probate administration. A probate attorney can help you during the probate administration process. At Bret Jones, P.A. we are very familiar with all aspects of probate law, probate administration being one of them. It would be our pleasure to help you with this other area of probate law.
Contact Bret Jones, P.A. for your Probate Matters
What does a probate attorney do? We hope that we’ve been able to answer that question. When it come to probate law, we cover a number of areas. This includes Will & Trusts, Livings Wills, Powers of Attorney, Preneed Guardian Designations, Health Care Surrogate Designations, Estate Planning, and Probate Administration. If you need a probate attorney, contact us at Bret Jones, P.A. We would be happy to assist you in all your probate matters.
