Wills Attorney in Altamonte Springs, FL

 

I often get questions in my law practice about wills. I wanted to give you some bullet points as to some of the normal questions and give you an idea of why a will is something you may need.

  1. Do I need a will? If you do not have a will, the State of Florida has a will for you by statute. This means that if you do not have a will, when you die, the laws of the State of Florida will determine who gets real property, money and personal assets. With a will, you can direct exactly who gets what and when they receive it. With a will you can give your assets to individual beneficiaries, those being children, relatives, or friends, without the State of Florida determining who gets what and in what percentage. You can also make specific bequests to charitable organizations if you so desire.
  2. The normal procedure in my office for the preparation of wills consists of a questionnaire that you will fill out concerning your assets (not in great detail) and your potential beneficiaries. You will want to indicate what you want to have happen to your assets upon your death. My office will then take in the questionnaire, you will have a file set up for the office and I will dictate a draft version of the will. A husband and wife will each have their own separate wills. Once the draft is completed, I will forward it to you, usually by e-mail, so that you might examine the will and get back to me with any input. We will then prepare the final draft of the will and it will be signed when you set an appointment and come in the office.
  3. Consultation: You can very often do your consultation for a will over the telephone. All consultations are free. This will allow you to make one trip to the office only for the signing of your will. Contact us at (407) 682-4402.
  4. Remember, without a will, the State of Florida determines everything concerning your assets and who gets what upon your death. Many people say to me that they do not have significant assets so it may not be important to have a will. The manner in which you die, may dictate the amount of your estate. If you are killed in a vehicle accident and the other vehicle has substantial auto insurance, all of that insurance will be an asset of your estate and can be distributed to your beneficiaries. This could be $1 million or more just from an automobile accident. It makes sense to take the time for a will.
  5. Blended families: If you are in a second or third marriage and have blended families or children by multiple spouses or you and your current spouse have children from other previous spouses, a will is a must so that you can determine exactly what happens to your property upon your death and the State of Florida does not give a larger percentage to your spouse than you would want.
  6. We very often prepare a Living Will at the same time of preparing your will. A Living Will is done for free by my office if we are preparing your wills. A Living Will is a 2 page document that indicates that you do not want to be kept alive by artificial means if you are in an unconscious state and have been determined by two doctors to be in a vegetative state, such that you will not ever regain consciousness.
  7. Costs: The cost of a will is not expensive but may vary depending upon the complexity. All fees are discussed up front.
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