Pensacola, Florida, Probate and Estate Planning Attorneys
A well-crafted estate plan can provide for your family, distribute your assets in accordance with your wishes and give you peace of mind. Estate plans are also designed to protect you in the event you become incapacitated.
At Meador & Vigodsky, our attorneys have helped numerous clients in developing and implementing estate plans that embody their desires and reflects their values.
We bring experience, legal knowledge and attention to every detail in developing estate plans. Contact our Pensacola office toll free at 888-304-7080.
Identifying Your Estate Planning Needs
At Meador & Vigodsky, attorney Travis R. Johnson helps clients with the following:
- Wills
- Trusts
- Living wills
- Healthcare surrogates
- Probate
- Powers of attorney
Mr. Johnson will consult with you, identifying your specific needs and those of your family members. He wants to fully understand your goals and how you would like to provide for your family when the time comes. Then he will create a customized plan to meet your unique situation. This could include a will, basic documents like a power of attorney or health care directive or other legal methods.
Estate Plans That Reflect Your Current Situation
There are times when your life takes an unexpected twist, and the estate planning documents that you have no longer reflect those changes. A divorce, birth of a child or even the death of a family member could trigger a re-assessment of your estate plan. Our lawyers can advise you and provide services to keep your documents current with your wishes today, and into the future.
Help with Probate-Related Matters
Whether or not the decedent had a Will, the primary way to transfer assets from the name of the deceased to the beneficiaries is to go through the probate process. Probate is generally necessary to gain access to bank accounts or to re-title real property. This process may seem simple, but it can often touch on sensitive family issues and can become difficult to manage. In the state of Florida, this process should never be attempted without the assistance of an attorney.
The main objective of the personal representative of an estate is to move the estate through probate as quickly as possible and without giving up too many of the estate's assets to creditors — so that the heirs named in the deceased person's will may receive their bequests in a timely fashion. Timeliness is greatly impacted by the format in which the probate case is filed, and the validity of creditors' claims can be challenged.
There are several different formats in which a probate case can be filed. At Meador & Vigodsky, we provide advice to clients about the best format for them to file their probate case: administrative probate, summary administration, regular administration or short-form.
We would be happy to help with your probate actions in Florida. In many cases, an attorney is required for probate administration. We provide efficient and cost-effective services for estates ranging in size from modest to large. Our firm can advise the personal representative of the estate and provide probate services throughout all steps of the process.
Contact Us
For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced lawyer regarding an estate plan, contact Meador & Vigodsky today.
