Estate Planning and Protection Law, P.C.

Estate Planning and Protection Law, P.C. Areas of Practice

Serving the greater Marlborough, Worcester, and Boston areas

One of our goals as an estate planning law firm is to ensure that clients feel knowledgeable and comfortable with their estate plan.  As part of our service, we will strive to explain the options fully and in a way that is easy to understand with an overview of the benefits of every decision.  The areas of practice are include:

• Estate and Tax Planning
  Estate Planning and Protection P.C.  provides clients with assistance in structuring assets to maximize  enjoyment of wealth during life, while  maintaining control over their property in the event of disability or incapacity.  As part of this, we provide assistance to clients to plan for the transition of their property to a surviving spouse or other beneficiaries, with the  goal of minimization of taxes and the expenses of estate administration.
  
  
• Advanced Estate Planning
  Many clients may require a more advanced estate plan due to the value or types of assets that they possess or the business relationships in which they are involved.  Some clients may require sophisticated gift and estate tax reduction techniques which may  include the incorporation of a life insurance trust to exclude the proceeds from inclusion in the estate.  Other techniques may include generation skipping transfer tax (GSTT) planning, a grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT), a qualified personal residence trust (QPRT), a limited liability company (LLC), or a self-canceling installment note (SCIN) as well as charitable planning techniques.
  
  
• Asset Protection Planning
  We can review a client's potential risk to their assets from potential creditors and develop an asset protection plan is integrated with a client's estate plan.   This may include the use of one or more limited liability companies and asset protection trusts.
  
  
• Trust, Estate, and Probate Administration
  We advise clients, trustees and beneficiaries with trust administration, and  postmortem administration of trusts and estates, including counsel regarding probating an estate, including will contests. 
  
  
• Estate and Gift Tax Return Preparation
  We assist clients, trustees, and executors with preparation of federal and state gift and estate tax returns, including advising individuals regarding tax elections, post mortem planning techniques, and valuation of property with respect to filing gift or estate tax returns. 
  
  
• Family Business and Succession Planning
  For those clients that have an ownership interest in a family business, we can assist with maintaining equity among family members while allowing for integration of the younger generation into the management or ownership of the company.   We can provide advice to minimize the impact of the estate tax on the continuation of the business by utilizing estate planning techniques and insurance products to retain key employees and provide cash upon death or incapacity of the business owner.
  
  
• Special Trusts for the Disabled and for Personal Injury Settlements
  Clients who are disabled, or who expect to receive personal injury settlements, may need to utilize a special trust to manage money for day to day expenses and possibly remain eligible for public benefits.
  
  
• Trusts for the Beneficiary with Special Considerations
  We can assist with planning for children or beneficiaries with special circumstances and implement  a trust  to assist with the financial or personal needs with the oversight of a trustee.  This can help insure that the beneficiary is protected and their assets remain secure.
  
  
• Charitable Giving
  We can assist clients who wish to employ charitable giving by using planning techniques such as outright gifts, charitable trusts (including charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts), private family foundations, donor advised funds, and gift annuities.
  
  
• Elder Law
  We can assist with planning for potential long-term care needs involving the use of trusts, life estates, gifts, long-term care insurance, reverse mortgages, and other techniques.  Assistance can also be provided in dealing with the state Medicaid agency.
  

• Planning for Non-Traditional Families
  Non-traditional and blended families, which include second marriage situations, domestic partners and married and unmarried same-sex couples,  may require greater consideration when developing an estate plan.  Such situations may even require prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.   In addition, we can advise on trust and gifting strategies for unmarried couples as well as for stepchildren, other family members, and children from previous relationships and marriages.