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Alabama Estate Planning Attorney Protecting Your Legacy Through Wills and Probate

PictureWe can prepare your last will and assist your executor with the adminstration
A will is essential at every stage of your adult life, providing you with the opportunity to distribute your property, establish care for your children and otherwise express your wishes for what will happen upon your death.

Fundamentally, a will is executed to determine who will inherit your property after your death and how that property will be conveyed to them. It will be necessary if you intend to leave property to someone who is not your blood relative — such as domestic partner, a friend or a charity. To die without having executed a will properly means that a court will determine how your property is distributed, who cares for your children and even what happens to your beloved pets — and the decisions made by the judge may run contrary to how you would have wanted things to be done. That could, as well, prove to be costly to your heirs by causing them to incur expenses and procedures that could have been avoided. Various advantages, including your peace of mind, can therefore be enjoyed by your heirs by taking the time for some advance planning and preparation.

Richard Izzi has been drafting valid wills for more than 25 years, and can draft your last will and testament in a way that conforms to the legal requirements that have been established under Alabama law, so that it will withstand any challenges to do what is necessary to ensure that your intentions are honored.

Creating an optimal estate plan
Drafting an effective will requires more than just filling in a form. If a court determines that your will is invalid, your heirs may not be able to receive the things you wanted to leave for their use and benefit after your death. Moreover, whoever may serve as the personal representative will likely be required to undertake various procedural tasks that could have otherwise been avoided.

We very carefully draft your will, and we consider all aspects of your estate plan. We review your family arrangements, financial situation and philosophical goals to guide you in making the best estate planning decisions, and we then draft your will accordingly so that those goals can be realized.

Changing your will
As your life changes, so might your estate plan. If you need to update your will at any point, we can draft and attach to it codicils that address changes in your financial situation, marital status, parenthood, philanthropic interests and general lifestyle decisions.

Appointing a guardian
Your will enables you to make decisions about the future care of your minor children. This could be especially crucial if you are a single parent, or if both you and your spouse were to die in a common incident.

If you have not named a guardian for your children, the court appoints one, and this guardian might make decisions that are contrary to what you would have wanted for them. You can name a guardian in your will, and make sure that funds are set aside to assist the guardian in the raising of your children. You can even make arrangements for the care of your pets and name someone to take responsibility for them.

Valuing and managing the estate
Richard Izzi, P.C., helps executors with the sometimes arduous process of collecting, managing, valuing, protecting and liquidating the assets of your estate. Though often more complicated when somebody dies without having left a valid will, we similarly assist with the opening of an estate for the individual who seeks to become the personal representative of the estate.

We can assemble a team of experts, if necessary, to assist in every aspect of estate probate. When appropriate, the firm calls upon accountants, financial advisers, real estate agents, property managers and other professionals to assist with executor duties. We can access expert opinions about unique assets such as antiques, rare books, automobiles and other collectibles for accurate valuation, management and possible sale.

Probate disputes
Even in apparently straightforward estate cases, there are sometimes disputes between beneficiaries. Having the benefit of experienced legal counsel can be tremendously helpful in defusing emotionally charged situations in probating a challenged will. Disputes can also occur, of course, when the need arises for a guardian or conservator to be appointed to be responsible for the affairs of someone who is no longer capable of managing their own affairs. We can often be of assistance on those occasions too.

When it is in the best interests of our client to preserve cordial familial relationships, we adeptly mediate these disputes. When necessary, we assertively defend our client’s beneficiary rights in that forum.

Contact Richard Izzi, P.C.
Richard Izzi, P.C., serves clients in Jefferson and the surrounding counties of Shelby, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Cullman, Blount and St. Clair. For more information on the legal services, counsel and strategies that we can offer your eventual estate, call us at 205-870-8327 or contact us online.