Estate Planning and Business Law for Franklin, Tennessee

Start with what you want your plan to accomplish

Estate planning can involve a will, one or more trusts, financial authority for an agent, and documents addressing healthcare decisions. These tools address different needs; choosing documents is not simply a matter of assembling a standard package. Consider who you want to receive property, who you trust to manage affairs if you cannot, and what decisions you want addressed in advance.

Before discussing options, gather any existing wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and related documents. Note major changes since they were prepared, such as changes in family circumstances, property, or your wishes. Identifying those changes helps frame whether the goal is to create a plan, coordinate existing documents, or revisit particular provisions.

• Write down the people you may want to name for property distribution, financial responsibilities, or healthcare decision-making.
• List the property and existing documents you want considered, and flag any questions or provisions that no longer reflect your wishes.

Consider whether a trust belongs in the plan

Dale Law Group offers assistance with wills and several kinds of trusts, including revocable living, irrevocable, asset protection, special needs, charitable, and pet trusts. Those names describe different planning options, not interchangeable choices. The useful question is what you want a trust to do and whether its terms can be coordinated with your other documents and circumstances.

If you are considering a trust, be ready to describe its intended purpose, the people or interests it should benefit, and who you might want involved in its administration. Ask how the proposed trust would work alongside your will and other planning documents, and what decisions or ongoing responsibilities it would create. A pour-over will is also among the firm’s offered services; discuss how it would fit with the rest of the plan rather than treating it as a substitute for coordination.

Coordinate financial and healthcare decision-making

A power of attorney gives another person authority to act as an agent; it addresses a different task from probate. Dale Law Group offers durable financial and healthcare powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives and living wills, and HIPAA authorizations. Consider separately whom you trust to handle financial matters and whom you want involved in healthcare decisions, and what information each person may need.

Gather current documents and identify any questions about the people named, the authority granted, or access to health information. Ask how the documents relate to one another and whether they reflect your current wishes. A document’s label alone does not show whether its terms fit your intended arrangement.

If a death has occurred, identify the estate process

Probate is the court-related process of establishing a will’s validity and settling an estate. It is not the same as a power of attorney, which authorizes an agent to act for another person. Dale Law Group offers probate administration, ancillary probate, and trust administration. Which service may be relevant depends on the circumstances and the property or documents involved, so gather the will and trust documents, if available, and a preliminary list of known property and questions.

For a probate matter connected to Franklin in Williamson County, the county states that probate matters are filed in Chancery Court. Confirm the correct office and matter-specific procedure rather than relying on another county’s checklist. If a will or other testamentary document was changed, identify the documents and circumstances surrounding the change; Tennessee’s appellate court has affirmed rejection of attempted changes that did not satisfy applicable requirements, so do not assume an informal change will be effective.

Make a business formation decision with the right information

Dale Law Group offers business formation assistance involving LLCs, corporations, and partnerships. Before choosing a structure, outline who will own the business, how owners expect to make decisions, and what should happen if an owner leaves or cannot participate. Also prepare questions about liability and tax considerations; the appropriate structure depends on the specific business and circumstances.

Bring a description of the planned business and the people involved, including any preliminary understanding about ownership or management. Discuss the choices and the documents needed to put the selected formation plan into effect. If you are also considering personal estate planning, raise that connection so the firm can discuss whether coordination with the offered estate-planning services is appropriate.