Porter Ranch Estate Planning Attorney

• Blended family situations where it becomes necessary to protect both a spouse, children from a prior marriage and even step-children,
• The need to appoint a guardian to care for minor children in the event of premature death or disability,
• Appointment of a conservator, and creating a conservatorship, which is a situation where one party is given the responsibility of caring for you and managing your assets in the event of illness or incapacity,
• Evaluating who is best suited to act as personal representative to the estate, considering the burden this role could place on children,
• The need to use trust structures that can protect your family and loved ones from creditors and potential lawsuits that may be brought against your estate after your death, and
• The difficult task of establishing an all-inclusive advance health care directive to ensure that your medical wishes, including those regarding end-of-life care, are carried out.

It is, of course, also necessary to consider taking steps to minimize your eventual estate tax burden. Although federal estate tax laws have recently been revised so that only the extremely wealthy will be subject to the hefty 40 percent maximum estate tax, the new law is temporary—set to expire after 2025. This uncertainty means that it remains important for all individuals to take planning steps to avoid this tax, including by setting up bypass trusts and taking advantage of the estate tax portability rules.

Retain an Empathetic and Skilled Estate Planning Attorney to Safeguard Your Family’s Future

At the Law Offices of Darrell C. Harriman, I provide more than cookie-cutter estate planning advice. While decades of experience in estate planning has provided me with in-depth knowledge of the technical estate planning rules and complex tax considerations that must be taken into account in any estate plan, I also focus on the human aspect of estate planning. I am empathetic and understand the aspects of an estate plan that may cause conflict down the road. I take steps to protect your family from future conflict, as well as drafting documents designed to ensure that your assets are protected.