Services

Estate Planning

At McCurdy, Wotila & Porteous, we make estate planning simple, straightforward, and even fun. Our estate planning attorneys help clients prepare understandable, custom-written, and affordable estate plans. We help clients understand the special family and business issues that could affect their estate plans. We cut out the jargon, explaining legal concepts and drafting sophisticated documents in plain English.

 

Custom-written. There is no one-size-fits-all estate plan. We believe that an estate plan should match the client’s individual needs, which will change over time. We cherish the long-term relationships with our clients, working regularly with them and their families to update estate plans to reflect changes in their lives and goals. In fact, we have worked with some families throughout three generations.

 

Affordable. While each estate plan is tailored to the client’s specific situation, we typically charge a flat fee for our planning services.  The cost to the client is both predictable and affordable.

 

Team-oriented. If you have a trusted family advisor, we will gladly work with them when preparing your estate plan. We regularly collaborate with local investment advisors, insurance agents and accountants to choose the best estate planning strategies for our clients.

 

Breadth of Expertise. Over the decades, we have cultivated a wide range of estate planning expertise. From a simple plan for a family to more specialized situations, our experience includes:

 

  • High net worth estates and death tax minimization
  • Small business and family business succession planning
  • Special needs and disability planning
  • Long-term care and Medicaid planning
  • Blended family, second marriage, and post-divorce estate planning
  • Estate plans for high-conflict or acrimonious family situations
  • Charitable giving
  • After-death tax planning
  • Pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreements
  • Estate planning for someone who has received a windfall, such as a large inheritance or lawsuit judgment

 

Full service. Our firm helps our clients’ loved ones administer their trusts and estates. If disputes arise about administration of trusts or estates, our estate planning lawyers work closely with our litigators to resolve the disputes as quickly and economically as possible.