Estate Planning

It is worth preparing an Estate Plan to ensure your belongings end up where you’d like them to go after you die. Estate Plans are NOT just for older or wealthy people. If you have dependents or assets you care about, we can help you choose the legal documents that will specify your wishes and name who is responsible for seeing them through.

Probate is a legal process that kicks in after you die. It’s when the state of New Mexico validates a will (if there is one), settles debt (if there is any), and oversees the distribution of assets. With an estate plan in place, probate can go smoothly. Otherwise, disputes and questions can slow things down, costing time and money.

If someone has named you an estate executor, we can guide you through probate to help you efficiently and legally settle your tasks.

Last Will and Testament

We will help you create a Last Will and Testament to document where and how you want your assets to go after you die and to whom you want to assign that responsibility. Your will can also name whom you’d like to be the guardian of your dependents.

Living Will/Advance Healthcare Directive/Power of Attorney

A living will provides instructions for what should happen to your things, assets, and affairs if you can no longer manage them. It also provides instructions for your medical care should you be unable to communicate.

An Advanced Healthcare Directive states the kind of life-support measures you’d be willing to endure.

A Medical Power of Attorney names whom you’d trust to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. Similarly, a Durable Power of Attorney names whom you’d want to make legal and financial decisions on your behalf.

Trusts

We can also help you establish a trust, which assigns a third party to manage the distribution of your financial assets and offers different ways to bypass some of the hurdles of probate.

Should you die without an estate plan, the court will decide what to do with your assets. It’s wise to have a plan for these situations to avoid a lot of stress, confusion, and heartache. We can make it easy if you already have an estate plan but need to make changes.

After an initial consultation, you’ll complete our forms, and then we’ll review them. We’ll meet again to discuss the details of your estate and wishes. From there, we’ll prepare drafts of your documents for your review. After your review, we’ll have a short meeting to discuss any changes you’d like us to make. Once we make those changes, we’ll schedule a short signing session, after which you’ll have an official legal set of estate planning documents to put your mind at ease.

Let’s talk.  Contact us today and allow us to understand your situation and determine the best and most affordable way to help you reach your goals.

Weems Hazen Law

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We’re ready to help you get your life back. Call or text us at 505.247.4700 or tell us more about your situation below for prompt evaluation.

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