Estate Planning Attorney in Colleyville, Texas

Creating an estate plan allows you to plan for life’s uncertainties, achieve peace of mind, and mitigate potential disputes when distributing assets to beneficiaries. With a properly drafted estate plan, you can make suitable plans in advance about how you want your assets to be managed or distributed to heirs upon your death or sudden incapacitation.

If you want to understand how estate planning works or need guidance when drafting your estate plan, it is important that you consult with a knowledgeable Texas estate planning attorney. At Brooks P. Lynn, Attorney at Law, I’m committed to providing experienced legal counsel to individuals, families, executors, and fiduciaries in estate planning-related matters.

As your legal counsel, I can enlighten you about your various estate planning options and determine the ideal plan that best fits you and your family’s needs. Whether you are a young or older adult, I can guide you through every phase of the estate planning process and help you make informed decisions every step of the way.

My firm—Brooks P. Lynn, Attorney at Law—proudly serves clients in Colleyville, Texas, and throughout all of Tarrant County.

Why Estate Planning Is Important

Estate planning involves making adequate plans in advance regarding how you want your final affairs settled and estate managed, distributed to heirs, or disposed of when you die or after sudden incapacitation. Having an estate plan is important for many reasons, including: 

• It allows you to name the individuals or organizations that will receive your assets.

• It allows you to prepare for future uncertainties.

• It allows you to choose a reliable and trustworthy person as your personal representative.

• It ensures that your property, assets, investment, and business are well protected.

• It helps protect your investments and assets from creditors and frivolous lawsuits.

• It allows you to provide for your surviving family members, including spouses, children, close relatives, and other dependents.

• It helps protect minor children and ensure that they are properly catered to.

• It helps your heirs and beneficiaries avoid or reduce estate, inheritance, and gift taxes.

• It helps you make proper arrangements concerning business succession or transfer at your retirement, disability, incapacity, or death.

• It helps mitigate potential disputes and conflicts between family members over asset distribution.

• It allows your estate to bypass the expensive and lengthy probate process (with a trust).

• It helps you avoid dying intestate (without a will).

Whether you have a small or big estate, creating an estate plan can help protect your assets, investments, surviving loved ones, and prepare for life’s uncertainties. An experienced lawyer can enlighten you about some vital documents to include in your estate plan.

Important Documents to Include in an Estate Plan

Here are some important estate planning documents to include in your estate plan, depending on your unique situation:

Will

A will is a legal document that provides detailed instructions about how you (the testator) want your property and assets to be administered, transferred to beneficiaries, or disposed of when you die. You can name a person in your will to help care for and manage any inheritance left for minor children.

Trust

A trust is a fiduciary relationship that allows you (the trustor or grantor) to choose another person (trustee or successor trustee) to hold trust assets—property left in the trust—on behalf of beneficiaries. The successor trustee will manage your final affairs and distribute trust assets to rightful beneficiaries, upon your death or sudden incapacitation, according to the provisions of the trust document.

Advance Healthcare Directive

An advance healthcare directive is a legal document providing specific instructions about your preferred medical care, procedures, and treatments in the event that you become unable to make such decisions by yourself, probably due to a critical illness, sudden incapacitation, disability, or other health issues.

Powers of Attorney

A power of attorney is a legal document that allows you (the principal) to appoint another person (an agent or attorney-in-fact) to help manage your property, financial, tax, or legal affairs if you’re unavailable, incapable, or otherwise unable to make such decisions on your own. You can designate such legal authority, power, and duty to your trusted friend, advisor, close relative, or attorney.

How Your Attorney Can Help

It’s never too early to plan for future uncertainties. Should you become incapacitated, critically ill, unavailable, or otherwise unable to voice your opinion, your surviving family members can achieve peace of mind and benefit from knowing your exact wishes. An experienced estate planning lawyer can evaluate your available estate planning options and help you make informed decisions.

At Brooks P. Lynn, Attorney at Law, I’ve devoted my career to offering knowledgeable legal services and guiding clients through the complexities of estate planning. As your legal counsel, I can:

• Educate you about how the estate planning process works

• Help you understand your possible legal options and determine the right one for you

• Find a personalized solution for you and your family’s unique needs

• Help draft legal and valid estate planning documents – will, living trust, advance healthcare directives, and power of attorney

• Help with probate administration, trust administration, and estate administration

Additionally, I will outline a strategic, long-term plan to protect your property, assets, investments, and business interests. I will work meticulously to address your needs and concerns and help you achieve your goals of transferring your accumulated assets to your surviving family members.