Austin Estate Planning Attorney
Prepare for the future and protect your legacy and family when you work with an experienced Austin estate planning attorney.
For many people, estate planning can seem like an uncomfortable process that requires you to face difficult issues. What will happen to your family if you pass away? Who will make decisions for you if you become incapacitated? Will your wishes for your legacy be honored?
The estate planning process can provide comfort and peace of mind by ensuring that your assets, legacy, and family will be protected no matter what lies ahead. Take the first step by contacting an Austin estate attorney today.
The Austin estate planning lawyers at Shann M. Chaudhry, Esq., Attorney at Law PLLC, provide individualized, thoughtful, and communicative services that enable clients and their families to plan for the future.
Contact us to schedule a consultation.
What Is Estate Planning?
On a basic level, estate planning is an all-encompassing process for handling your finances, business, assets, and medical decisions if you become incapacitated or pass on.
Estate plans are comprised of a range of legal documents. These documents do more than divvy up your assets or delegate power of attorney to specific family members—a comprehensive estate plan can help reduce the burden of estate taxes on your family, ensure that your children are cared for by the guardians you select, and protect your family’s privacy during difficult times.
Working with an Austin-based estate planning attorney can help you draft an estate plan that safeguards your family and its finances no matter what happens to you in the future.
Our Approach to Estate Planning in Austin
We strive to listen to every client’s needs and concerns with empathy and understanding to ensure that the estate planning process delivers individualized, straightforward results.
Our Austin estate planning attorneys will help you craft an estate plan to help you feel confident in your strategies to protect your family and legacy.
Our comprehensive approach to estate planning allows you to implement a customized legal strategy that:
Articulates your wishes for your legacy and inheritance
Reduces the burden of estate tax laws
Identifies guardians for your estate, yourself, or minor children
Legally and directly states your medical preferences
Determines who will make medical and financial decisions for you, should you become incapacitated
Our Austin Estate Planning Services
Your finances, your family, and your goals are unique. We provide a full range of estate planning services at our office in Austin, Texas, to support our clients with creative, personalized estate planning strategies.
Last will and testament
A last will and testament is the foundation of your estate plan. This legal document establishes which beneficiaries will inherit your property after you pass on and who will manage your assets until they’re distributed.
Last will and testament
A last will and testament is the foundation of your estate plan. This legal document establishes which beneficiaries will inherit your property after you pass on and who will manage your assets until they’re distributed.
Revocable living trust
Using a revocable living trust can reduce tax burdens and protect the privacy of your beneficiaries by preventing your assets from going through a public reading of your will or probate.
HIPAA release
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that was created to establish a national standard for the privacy of a patient’s medical information. HIPAA is the reason why it’s illegal for any family member who is a medical professional to disclose the diagnosis of a mutual friend’s illness.
HIPAA release
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that was created to establish a national standard for the privacy of a patient’s medical information. HIPAA is the reason why it’s illegal for any family member who is a medical professional to disclose the diagnosis of a mutual friend’s illness.
Directive to physicians
A directive to physicians, also known as a living will, dictates your intentions for treatment or non-treatment should you be diagnosed with a terminal or irreversible condition.
For example, this form allows you to specify that you wouldn’t want to be kept on life support when facing a terminal illness—this protects your preferences and may also provide peace of mind for any loved ones who want to know which course of action you’d prefer.
Selection of guardian for self and estate
Powers of attorney apply to most circumstances, but not all of them. Choosing a guardian can help you make sure that everything is taken care of.
A guardian for self is granted the right to make legal decisions for you should you be incapacitated, and a guardian for estate makes legal decisions for the estate itself. Both parties are monitored by the court.
Selection of guardian for self and estate
Powers of attorney apply to most circumstances, but not all of them. Choosing a guardian can help you make sure that everything is taken care of.
A guardian for self is granted the right to make legal decisions for you should you be incapacitated, and a guardian for estate makes legal decisions for the estate itself. Both parties are monitored by the court.
Durable power of attorney
An advanced directive for durable power of attorney (POA) designates a person to take charge of your property, financial decisions, and other legal or business decisions in the event of your incapacitation.
Medical power of attorney
Designating a medical power of attorney (POA) enables you to choose a legal healthcare proxy in the event of your incapacitation. This person can make medical decisions regarding your treatment that adhere to any guidelines or preferences you’ve stated if you’ve been incapacitated.
Medical power of attorney
Designating a medical power of attorney (POA) enables you to choose a legal healthcare proxy in the event of your incapacitation. This person can make medical decisions regarding your treatment that adhere to any guidelines or preferences you’ve stated if you’ve been incapacitated.
Non-probate asset planning
Using non-probate asset planning can provide your family or beneficiaries with greater privacy because your assets aren’t subject to wills or probates.
Non-probate assets include items like:
- Assets in a revocable living trust
- Assets that are payable upon a person’s death, such as life insurance
- Co-owned assets, such as property
Planning for non-probate assets enables you to pass your inheritance on to your loved ones in a private manner.
Elder law planning
Elder law planning safeguards a specific portion of your assets to ensure your care while you’re alive. Specifically, it enables you to plan for any needs regarding long-term care in a nursing facility or at home.
Elder law planning
Elder law planning safeguards a specific portion of your assets to ensure your care while you’re alive. Specifically, it enables you to plan for any needs regarding long-term care in a nursing facility or at home.
If you have questions about estate planning services in Austin, Texas, contact our offices to schedule a consultation.
What It’s Like to Work with Our Austin Law Firm
Our Austin firm takes an individualized approach to creating an estate plan. We’ll work closely with you to learn about your goals and concerns to develop a plan tailored specifically to your needs.
Our firm offers several packages for clients to choose from that provide essential documents and vital counsel for your estate planning. If you need more complex planning, we generally begin with the basic treatment plan and then move forward with the more complicated issues.
With our client-centric approach, you don’t need to stress out about which plan is the right one for you in the beginning because we’ll work together to determine what makes the most sense for your situation.
Implementing Your Estate Plan
Establishing the legal documentation for your estate plan is only part of the process. Your estate plan needs a clear plan for putting it to work.
At Shann M. Chaudhry, Esq, PLLC., we treat the implementation of estate plans with the same care as creating them. We offer trust administration services, including estate tax compliance and lifetime and post-mortem trust administration.
We also assist clients with probate. We can support your executor and beneficiaries throughout probate and make sure assets are appropriately distributed.
Additionally, we offer a long-term Client Care Program for our clients. This program ensures ongoing estate plan support, including regular reviews by our staff and the opportunity to make basic revisions as needed. Our Client Care Program can offer you the peace of mind that, no matter what life changes may come your way and no matter what laws may change, you’ll be prepared.
We also collaborate with any other professional advisors you work with, such as financial advisors, and provide family meetings to discuss your estate plan. These measures offer a greater degree of transparency in your estate plan.
Speak with an Austin Estate Planning Attorney Today
If you’re interested in creating an estate plan but don’t know where to start, or you have an estate plan but you’re not sure if it works for you, our team is here to help. Contact our offices to schedule a consultation today.