Probate and Estate Planning

Protect Your Financial and Personal Decisions

If you want to have control over the distribution of your estate and healthcare decisions, you need to consider estate planning. When you fail to create a comprehensive estate plan, state law will step in and make these decisions for you. If you are ready to discuss the preparation of your estate plan, contact Farrar Thompson in Pensacola, Florida.

Estate Planning

An estate plan ensures that your decisions about your estate and healthcare are carried out upon your death or incapacitation. An estate plan comprises a variety of documents that inform the court of your decisions and arrange your estate according to your wishes. Our lawyers can help families in the Florida Panhandle create an estate plan that includes:

• Wills: Instructions to the court about the disposition of your property
• Trusts: A method of transferring title to a trustee for the benefit of another person
• Living Wills: A document that provides directions on the use of life-prolonging procedures
• Durable Powers of Attorney: A method to avoid having a guardian appointed to pay the bills and protect the assets of an incapacitated person
• Healthcare Surrogates: A document appointing one person to make medical decisions for another person, including the right to withdraw medical care

Probate and Estate Administration

Probate and estate administration are processes that determine and execute the intentions of the deceased family member. Probate is the process of distributing the property of the estate in accordance with a will or statute. Issues that frequently arise during probate include the validity of wills, inheritance disputes, distribution of estate properties, creditors' claims, and beneficiary contests. Estate administration refers to the process of collecting and distributing the assets of the estate. The will may name an administrator or the court may appoint one.

Estate planning and probate are important tools to ensure the court carries out your intentions upon your death or incapacitation. To protect your estate and personal decisions, contact an attorney at Farrar Thompson for a complimentary telephone consultation. We advise people about estate planning throughout the Emerald Coast, including in Fort Walton Beach, Jays, Pace, and Pensacola.