Estate Planning If you like the stautory framework specified under the Florida Statutes, you will not need to sign a Will or any trust documents.  If, on the other hand, you want a little more say in how your assets are distributed after your death, then you need a Will or a trust.  Either document works well and there is nothing that is done in a revocable trust that can't be accomplished in a Will, except for helping avoid some guardianship proceedings.  If your estate is potentially going to be subject to estate taxes, there are a number of techniques that can take some of the harshness out of the system.  However, our goal is to make sure that you are provided for and that the process be essentially transparent, which means that it does not adversely affect your lifestyle.  To speed up our initial meeting, please fill out and either e-mail or bring the completed form with you.

Probate  Probate is an all encompasing term for the process of settling a decedent's estate.  If the amount of money in the deceased persons probate estate is less than $75,000, there are simplified proceedings which are relatively inexpensive, not terribly cumbersome and fairly quick.  If the deceased person left a probate estate over $75,000, there are far more forms, filings and paperwork involved.  Lastly, if the deceased person left an estate (probate estate assets held in a revocable or marital trust, etc.) which could be subject to an estate tax, there is even more compliance work to be done  as well as filing a federal estate tax return, known as "form 706." Unless someone has been dead for more than 2 years, a probate will take a minimum of 90 days to serve notice on all interested parties and to extinguish all creditor claims.  Please consult the initial checklist and intake sheet before we meet so that can make the most of our time together.

Taxpayer Represenation  Do you (or are you about to) owe the IRS money for current or back taxes?  While we all want to pay our fair share of taxes, sometime the final amount is too large to come up with all at once, or perhaps there was an unanticipated situation which made it impossible to promptly settle your bill.  Fortunately there are special programs designed to help you work out a payment plan with the IRS or to settle out your debt for less than the full amount if it looks like you can't &/or won't be able to pay it in full. 

Some taxes are dischargeable in Bankruptcy and some, like payroll taxes, are not and have to be dealt with on their own, after the Bankruptcy case is over.

If its not possible to work out an issue with either the Revenue Agent or an appeals official, you may end up in Tax Court.  However, if the matter is potentially a criminal case, as opposed to a civil proceeding, we will bring in outside attorneys who specialize in tax-criminal defense.

Links & Forms

The IRS

List of all qualified charities

The Florida Statutes

The Florida Department of Revenue

Download our Probate intake sheet