Sonya Sigler moderated this panel discussion on Estate Planning Basics. Three trusts and estate lawyers discussed 1) the basic documents you need to have in place (will, power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, and advanced directive/living will, and the names can vary by state), 2) Probate – what it is and whether you want to avoid it, 3) Trusts and when it makes sense to have one, and 4) Other estate planning considerations.
The takeaways from this discussion were:
- Please see a trusts and estate specialist in your state and do your due diligence in choosing an expert to help you. (See the contact info and resource list below).
- Be CLEAR about your wishes and desires and communicate them.
- Don’t be afraid to have what you may think are these tough, difficult, or uncomfortable conversations.
- What you want to put in place is specifically related to what assets you have, where they are, whether you have minor or adult children, and if you own a business or real property.
- Download Sonya’s book for FREE – WELCOME to the next Level.
If you would like to evaluate your need for an estate plan and take the next step to put an estate plan in place, please contact Sonya Sigler to get started or one of the panelists (their contact information is listed below with their bio). If you are in a different state than the panelists please see the resource list for more options.
Resources
Video | Audio | Chat | Transcript
Other Trusts & Estate Attorneys (this link takes you to the Google Doc with other lawyers listed)
Panelists:
Deborah Moritz Farr, a graduate of the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and University of California at Berkeley, joined Turner Huguet Adams & Farr in 2008. Her three decades of legal experience includes Deputy District Attorney for Alameda County (1989-1993), Medical Malpractice Defense (1993-1996) and In-House Counsel for Providian Bank (1996-2000). Prior to joining the firm, Deborah was a sole practitioner, specializing in Estate Planning. Her expertise includes jury and court trials in addition to all aspects of estate planning including wills, trusts, and probate.
She sits on the board of the Conservatorship, Guardian, Probate and Trust Section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and is a member of the Trust & Estate section and Taxation section of the California State Bar. Deborah and her husband raised their family in Martinez and she is an active community member.
Deborah Mortiz Farr
(925) 228-3433
dfarr@thalaw.com
Turner, Huguet & Adams
924 Main Street
Martinez, CA 94553
Autumn Dmytrewycz graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in May 2008, and has been a licensed attorney in Kentucky since October 2008. She spent the first eight years of her legal career as a felony prosecutor for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In 2016 she switched gears and became a Right-of-Way Agent for a public utility. In August 2019 she started a private law practice on the side, focusing on Estate Planning and Probate.
Autumn Dmytrewycz
Attorney-at-Law
P.O. Box 910043
Lexington, Kentucky 40591
859-361-1589
Autumn@AutumnEsq.net
AutumnEsq.net
Yana Feldman is the owner of Yana Feldman & Associates, PLLC, also known as New York Legacy Lawyers. The firm focuses on holistic and creative client-centered planning with a goal of creating not only a financial legacy, but also one of personal values and non-monetary assets with an emphasis on ensuring clients’ dignity and independence as they age. Her goals include educating on the importance of estate and elder law planning, working with the “sandwich generation” of men and women raising children while caring for aging parents and creating a modern law firm. After earning her undergraduate degree in Anthropology in 1999 at the University of Chicago, she graduated from Tulane Law School in New Orleans in 2002.
Her practice includes estate and tax planning, business succession planning, elder law & Medicaid planning, guardianship, trust & estate administration and litigation.Yana is fluent in Russian. She lives in Brooklyn with her architect husband and their twin daughters.
Yana Feldman & Associates, PLLC
Estate Planning & Elder Law
We’re Generation Lawyers. We help families protect their loved ones and pass their wealth and their values on to the next generation.
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132 32nd Street, Suite 301
Brooklyn NY 11232
Tel : (718) 713-8080
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