Legal Services
ASSET PROTECTION
Asset protection focuses on hiding or protecting your assets from litigation. It is utilized to protect you and your family's assets from people collecting judgments. For most people, this is an important and distinctive area of law especially if you live in high litigation states (i.e. California) or work in high litigation risk jobs. There are a variety of ways to provide asset protection including irrevocable trusts, REITs (land trusts), corporations, blind trusts, money transfers, and hiding measures. Each opportunity has benefits and costs associated with it. You can also combine protective measures with each other to maximize your benefits. We specialize in finding the right measure for you that fits your particular needs. Please call us for a free phone consultation on this or any of our legal services.
ESTATE PLANNING
Under our estate planning services, we offer revocable trusts, tax planning/tax avoidance trusts, ILITs, ABC and charitable remainder trusts, pet trusts, drafting deeds, wills, power of attorneys, and healthcare documents. We also create SNTs (special needs trusts) for individuals with special needs that may need extra care. The preparation of these documents will allow for you to avoid probate, minimize the federal government's inheritance (or death) taxes, and ensure that your family keeps the assets in your estate. There are a variety of estate plans that are available. Please contact us and speak with an attorney to figure our the best one for your needs!
SPECIAL NEEDS TRUST
Special Needs Trusts (SNTs)
A special needs trust (SNT) is usually established for an individual that has a mental or physical disability that will not allow for him/her to engage in any gainful activity by reason of medical or physical impairment that will lead to death or which has lasted or will be expected to last at least 12 months (42 USC section 1382C(a)3(A). The main purpose of establishing an SNT is to maintain SSI benefits. If you receive SSI, you will more than likely also get Medi-Cal for your health care needs. These are major benefits that people with mental or physical impairments need. By establishing an SNT the beneficiary will still receive SSI benefits, and the special needs trust can be the beneficiary for any assets that the parents leave for the beneficiary.
PET TRUST
A pet trust is a trust that focuses exclusively on your pets. Since pets are considered property under California law, a pet trust allows you as an owner to “gift” your pet to a trusted person or an organization with specific rules as to the care for your pet. It also allows for you to provide funds for such care. You want to make sure that the individual/organization you choose to care for your pet will do so in the same fashion as you do. Your pets are your furry children, take care of them!
