Estate Planning Lawyers in Richmond, Virginia

Regardless of whether you are just starting a family, facing retirement, or taking care of an elderly parent, creating a will or trust is essential and can be extremely beneficial to you and your family. An estate plan can provide financial support for a cherished cause, disabled family member, or closely held business following your death. You can also designate who will make decisions for you when you cannot, through powers of attorney, and specify when to end resuscitation efforts or life support.

At CowanGates, our estate planning attorneys work closely with individuals and families to create wills, trusts, and business continuity plans.

Planning now can save time and money later. To learn more about how creating a will or trust can help you, contact the law office of CowanGates today to schedule an appointment.

Creating a Will, Trust, or Business Continuity Plan

Our estate planning attorneys assist clients in regard to the following estate planning tools:

• Wills
• Durable medical powers of attorney
• Advance medical directives
• Special needs trusts
• Revocable trusts
• Irrevocable trusts
• Testamentary trusts
• Powers of attorney
• Guardianship / conservatorship
• Business continuity plans
• Charitable remainder trusts
• Estate tax planning trusts

Using Trusts to Secure Your Family's Future

A trust is an effective estate planning tool for setting aside money to avoid costly estate taxes, probate fees, and the estate administration process, provide healthcare for a disabled family member, provide funds for education, or fund a charity. There are, however, a number of legal and financial issues that must be considered when establishing a trust. At CowanGates, our attorneys work with accountants, financial planners, and tax experts when creating trusts for our clients. We explain how a trust can help you avoid certain kinds of taxes and fees and save your loved ones the hassle of probate and accounting.

Probate and Estate Planning

An estate plan can avoid the probate process altogether, or at least make the probate process easier for your family. While an estate plan may not prevent a will from being contested, it can make it more difficult for disgruntled family members from trying to appropriate assets or become the executor of your estate. While our office is prepared to defend or contest a will if need be, we can also help clients through each stage of the probate and estate administration process.

Wills, Trusts & Estates:  Frequently Asked Questions by Michael C. Hall (PDF)

To schedule an appointment and learn how we can help you, contact estate planning lawyers at CowanGates today.