Daytona Beach Estate Planning Lawyer

At William C. Roof Law Group, our Daytona Beach estate planning lawyers take pride in managing even the most complex of estate planning challenges. Whether you already have an idea of where to begin, are starting from scratch, or just need to update your existing estate plan, our firm is here to help. We offer an extensive range of service areas to accommodate the diverse needs of our clientele.

OUR PRACTICE AREAS

Estate Planning Services We Provide

Estate Planning

Looking for an estate planning attorney? Daytona Beach families deserve individualized attention and advice when creating custom estate plans that suit their unique needs. The Daytona Beach estate planning lawyers at William C. Roof Law Group can assist with the creation of wills, trusts, life insurance policies, and any other estate planning instruments your family may need.

Mirror Wills

If you and your spouse are looking to create a solid estate plan in Daytona Beach, reciprocal wills may be a viable option. Reciprocal wills (also called “mirror wills”) are designed so that if one spouse dies before the other, the surviving spouse inherits the whole estate — and they don’t have to endure the expense and stress of assets going through probate. Our Daytona Beach mirror will lawyers can help you decide whether this estate planning strategy is right for your family.

Revocable Living Trusts

Transferring your assets to a revocable living trust during your lifetime can allow your loved ones to avoid the probate process — while also allowing you to retain full control of your assets until your death. Let the revocable living trust attorneys at William C. Roof Law Group help you make this pivotal decision. No two estate plans are the same, and your revocable living trust lawyer can go over the benefits and drawbacks of this type of trust and others to help you make the right choice for your estate plan.

Pour-Over Wills

Putting your assets into a trust can keep your will out of probate, but if you acquire more assets and don’t add them to the trust before your death, these assets may have to go through probate court. Speak to a Daytona Beach pour-over will attorney at William C. Roof Law Group about how to avoid this predicament — it could involve adding just a single document to your existing estate plan. Our lawyers can help you understand how Daytona Beach pour-over wills work and whether adding one to your estate plan is right for you.

Probate Administration

To ensure that all assets are properly distributed and all estate taxes are paid during the probate process, you need the help of our Daytona Beach probate administration attorneys. When you leave the logistics to us, your family will be free to grieve in peace — and you can rest assured that your loved one’s estate is being resolved completely and correctly. Our Daytona Beach probate administration lawyers handle every aspect of the probate process for you, confirming that no steps are missed and that everything is done right.

Will Contest & Disputes

Whether you need to challenge a will’s validity or defend a will against someone else’s challenge, Daytona Beach will dispute lawyers can help. When you hire a Daytona Beach attorney to contest a will, your lawyer can assess your situation, make an argument before the court, and strengthen your chances of a positive outcome. Will disputes can create lasting schisms within families, and the right lawyer may help you resolve disagreements while preserving your existing family relationships.

Probate Disputes

Probate disputes can become acrimonious, but a Daytona Beach probate dispute attorney can help your family work together to solve an issue instead of engaging in a long, public legal battle. However, in some cases — like if your loved one was coerced into changing beneficiary designations when they were close to death — you may need to pursue legal action. In instances like these, a Daytona Beach probate dispute lawyer can advocate for the will to be interpreted in the way your late loved one intended.

Trust Disputes

Families can — and often do — suffer from disputes over the control and distribution of the assets within trusts. These disputes can prove difficult to resolve without outside help from a Daytona Beach trust dispute law firm. At William C. Roof Law Group, our Daytona Beach trust dispute lawyers have experience helping families resolve disagreements over the management and distribution of trusts and trust assets.

Guardianship for Adults

If your loved one is incapacitated, a guardianship may be the best way to keep them from harm. The courts rightfully need considerable evidence before removing someone’s rights, so if you think guardianship could be the best option for your family member, consult our lawyers for Daytona Beach guardianship of adults. William C. Roof Law Group’s Daytona Beach guardianship lawyers for adults will discuss your situation and help you determine whether this is the best way forward or whether your family should pursue other options first.

Guardianship Disputes

Are you currently embroiled in a guardianship dispute, or do you anticipate one arising in the near future? If other family members are challenging your guardianship of a loved one, you need a guardianship dispute lawyer in Daytona Beach to advocate for your loved one’s best interests. Families deserve skilled, dedicated representation when dealing with sensitive issues like these, and our Daytona Beach guardianship dispute law firm is prepared to deliver it.

Medicaid Planning

Many people rely on Medicaid for quality medical care in their old age, but qualifying for Medicaid may require a strategy that takes into account complex requirements and asset limits. A Daytona Beach Medicaid planning lawyer can help you or your loved ones build a secure future that includes the long-term medical care and support you need. Let the Daytona Beach Medicaid planning attorneys at William C. Roof Law Group help you.

Living Wills

A living will doesn’t have anything to do with distributing your assets after death; instead, it outlines which medical procedures you want (and don’t want) if you are unable to communicate your preferences. A living will attorney in Daytona Beach can help you create a detailed living will to ensure your wishes are respected. Don’t wait until it’s too late — get in touch with our Daytona Beach living will lawyers today to create and file your living will.

Durable Power of Attorney

A durable power of attorney allows you to nominate a trusted person to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so. Turn to a Daytona Beach durable power of attorney lawyer to ensure your durable power of attorney is properly created and legally enforceable. Your Daytona Beach DPOA attorney will walk you through the process of creating, notarizing, and filing a durable power of attorney so that you and your family will be prepared if the unthinkable happens.

Lady Bird Deeds

In Florida, Lady Bird deeds (also called “enhanced life estate deeds”) allow you to pass a home down to a beneficiary after your death while maintaining control of the property during your lifetime. A Daytona Beach Lady Bird deed lawyer can create a legally valid Lady Bird deed that will ensure your loved ones will have a home after your passing. If you’re looking for attorneys that do Lady Bird deeds in Daytona Beach, choose William C. Roof Law Group to help you secure your home’s (and your family’s) future.

Last Will and Testament

Do you need an attorney for last will and testament in Daytona Beach? Your last will and testament may not be the only document in your estate plan, but it’s an indispensable part of it — and a great place to start if you don’t have a current plan in place. Whether you need to update your existing last will and testament or create one for the first time, your Daytona Beach last will and testament lawyer will advise and guide you.

Designation of Health Care Surrogate

A health care surrogate is someone who can step in and make medical decisions for you if you are unable to. When designating a surrogate, you can work with a Daytona Beach health care surrogate attorney to ensure your choice is a legally valid one — and that it will be respected if you become incapacitated. Our Daytona Beach health care surrogate law firm handles health care surrogate designations frequently, and we can prepare for your wishes to be respected when you can’t verbalize your preferences for care.

Designation of Pre-Need Guardianship

If you have a medical condition where you anticipate the need to be under guardianship in the future, you may wish to file a Daytona Beach declaration of preneed guardian form. It’s heartbreaking to know that you might someday be in a situation where you cannot make your own decisions, but when you hire a compassionate attorney to draft a Daytona Beach pre-need guardianship, you can at least grant yourself some peace.

Estate Planning

Many people think that they’ll get to creating an estate plan one day, but too many put it off until it’s too late. No matter how old (or young) you are, the best time to talk to a Daytona Beach estate planning lawyer is now. And if you already have an estate plan, you should regularly revisit and update it to ensure your wishes will be respected.

Our Daytona Beach estate planning law firm has helped countless individuals and families secure their legacies, plan for the future, and grant their loved ones peace of mind. When it comes to finding an estate planning attorney, Daytona Beach families should start looking sooner rather than later — and William C. Roof Law Group is here for you!

More about Estate Planning

Wills

Some people think they can save a few dollars by creating a will online instead of consulting with a Daytona Beach attorney for wills. However, many do-it-yourself wills use formulaic language designed to apply to as many users as possible, failing to consider the unique factors that make your estate plan different. These wills may appear valid to the untrained eye, but ambiguities may lead to problems that cause your family distress.

A Daytona Beach wills attorney can help you craft a fully customized will that stands up in court and prevents painful legal battles after your passing. If you need a Daytona Beach lawyer for wills, look no further than William C. Roof Law Group.

More about Wills

Trusts

Your will is the foundation of your estate plan. A trust can build on that foundation to protect your loved ones now and after you’re gone. If you turn to a Daytona Beach trusts attorney to establish one or more trusts, you might reduce your tax burden, shield assets from creditors, or prevent some or all of your assets from going through probate.

Creating a trust that complies with Florida laws shouldn’t be left to chance. You need Daytona Beach local trust attorneys who understand the ins and outs of trust creation. At William C. Roof Law Group, a Daytona Beach trusts lawyer can explain the various types of trusts so that you can make a decision that’s right for you and your family.

More about Trusts

Let us help

When you’re part of a blended family, creating an estate plan that addresses everyone’s needs can be daunting. Between complex family dynamics, dividing assets between children from different relationships, and ensuring your new spouse is taken care of, it can be hard to know where to start. The team at William C. Roof Law Group has extensive experience with estate planning for blended families. Let us help you.

Probate

In many cases, a will must go through probate — a court-supervised process to establish its validity — before someone’s assets can be distributed. Probate also involves paying taxes, debts, and other obligations. A Daytona Beach probate lawyer can help you understand this process and comply with probate law when managing an estate.

A Daytona Beach probate attorney can also be helpful if you believe the will contains a mistake, if you think your loved one was coerced into making changes, or if the will is otherwise invalid. Probate can be a minefield for people who aren’t familiar with the probate court system, but the right Daytona Beach probate law lawyer can make all the difference.

More about Probate

Guardianship

In Daytona Beach, legal guardianship is much more challenging to obtain than you might realize. That’s for good reason — courts need substantial evidence that a person can’t care for themselves before removing or suspending their rights. Guardianship is generally a last resort, but if your loved one cannot manage their own affairs, consulting lawyers for legal guardianship may be the best way to protect them.

A Daytona Beach guardianship attorney at William C. Roof Law Group can explain what it takes to gain guardianship of a loved one — and whether it’s the right option for you and your family. We know this is a challenging and emotionally fraught decision, and our team treats guardianship cases with the sensitivity they deserve.

More about Guardianship

Estate Planning, Probate, Litigation, Guardianship lawyer signing documents with clients

contact us

We’re here to answer all of your questions. Feel free to give us a call, or fill out the form to the right and we will get in touch with you soon.

(407) 986-3030

[email protected]

Daytona Beach: 140 S. Beach Street, Suite 414, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 (By Appointment)