New Orleans Power of Attorney Lawyers

Estate Planning Law Firm in Orleans Parish, Louisiana

Estate planning is not everyone's favorite topic. To some, the process of making a will can serve as an unpleasant reminder that none of us are here forever. To others, it is business as usual. No matter your personal attitude toward estate planning, you need to do it. There are two sides of estate planning - testamentary planning and incapacity planning. Testamentary planning generally involves creating a will or other documents to direct the posthumous distribution of your assets. Incapacity planning involves preparing for the possibility that you will become incapacitated later in life and will require help from others.

Brown Weimer, LLC, believes that both parts of estate planning are equally important. One side protects your loved ones, while the other protects you. We want to ensure that you will be able to personally determine who should benefit from your estate, and that your wishes will be respected should you need care in the future. By creating wills and powers of attorney, we can help you take back control in a situation where you may otherwise have no voice.

Wills Attorney for Orleans Parish and Surrounding Areas

A will is the most classic - and perhaps the most powerful - of all testamentary planning tools. Nearly every strong estate plan, from the most basic to the most elaborate, will include a will. You may have heard that if you use a will, your loved ones must go through probate, a long, difficult, and costly process. You may be surprised to learn that depending on the value of your estate, your beneficiaries may be able to use one of Louisiana's streamlined procedures for settling small successions.

However, there are certain strict legal formalities associated with creating a will. A minor defect in the process of creation or execution could lead to a will contest. While it may be tempting to use an online kit, there are no guarantees that such a document would survive estate litigation. Rather, your will should be written by an attorney, and you should execute (sign) your will only in your lawyer's office at their direction.

Our lawyers can create for you a customized will to suit your unique needs and wants, as well as those of your beneficiaries. You may be surprised at what we can help you accomplish with a simple will.

Powers of Attorney Lawyers in Southern Louisiana

Powers of attorney are multi-purpose tools. When used strategically, they can prevent the need for an interdiction should you become incapacitated. In short, a power of attorney is a document that authorizes another person to take an action that has legal significance on your behalf.

Most people need two types of powers of attorney - financial and healthcare. A financial power of attorney can authorize someone you trust to access your finances to keep your bills paid and otherwise manage your financial affairs. A healthcare power of attorney is how you will appoint the person you would want to begin making medical decisions for you if you lost the capacity to do so for yourself.

Our attorneys are skilled at creating these documents to be quite specific as to what your agent may or may not do on your behalf. We can include a clause so that no powers are conveyed unless and until you are incapacitated. When you include powers of attorney in your incapacity plan, you actually retain decision-making power through the written instructions and limitations we can include.

Contact a New Orleans Estate Planning Attorney

Brown Weimer, LLC, can help you create the will and powers of attorney you need to be ready for anything. Our attorneys take your protection and the protection of your loved ones very seriously. To arrange a complimentary consultation, please contact us at 504-561-8700 to receive a free consultation. We create testamentary and incapacity plans for people in New Orleans, Mandeville, Covington, Thibodaux, Gretna, Slidell, Houma, Kenner, Metairie, Harvey, Jefferson Parish, Terrebonne Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Tammany Parish and Lafourche Parish.