Probate

Probate and Estate Planning Attorneys

We understand that planning for your family’s future can be very confusing and stressful. However, our attorneys can relieve that confusion and stress by showing you how to protect your family and your finances for any future situation.

To learn more about how we can help plan for your future and the future of your family, call us at 727-600-5858 or contact us to schedule a consultation.

Planning for the future is critical, and every client has a different set of unique needs to consider and discuss. You could be just starting a new family, embarking on a trip overseas, facing a significant event in your life, or wanting to create a trust to take care of your children or grandchildren. We can develop the ideal plan to meet your specific needs where you are in your life right now.

The experienced attorneys of the Arvanitakis Law Group can assist you with these probate and estate planning matters:

  • Probate – Summary Administrations and Formal Administrations
  • Wills
  • Living Wills
  • Advance Directives
  • Trusts
  • Revocable Trusts
  • Estate Administration
  • Health Care Powers of Attorney
  • Durable Powers of Attorney (Financial Power of Attorney)

The goal at Arvanitakis Law Group is to meet and exceed your expectations. We achieve this with communication and our attention to detail. Estate planning involves the most critical decisions in our clients' lives. Let our estate planning attorneys help you devise a plan that is compatible with your family's needs and lifestyle.

Unfortunately, death is inevitable, and it does not have to cause unnecessary stress and confusion for your loved ones left behind. Creating an estate plan simplifies and streamlines the process so that your final wishes are carried out precisely as you wish. An estate plan also lessens the burden on your loved ones to "figure everything out" while they are grieving.

Frequently Asked Questions

1What should my estate plan include?

A proper estate plan should include the following legal documents:

  • Last Will and Testament or Pour-Over Will if a Trust Agreement has been already created.
  • Living will, which directs doctors what kind of end-of-life care and medical treatment you want.
  • Designated health care surrogate, which designates a medical power of attorney to make health care judgments on your behalf.
  • Durable Power of Attorney, which delegates and grants authority to an agent to act on your behalf while you are alive.
  • Declaration naming pre-need guardian, which identifies who you want to be your legal guardian should you ever become incapacitated or declared incompetent by a court of law.
  • HIPPA release, which authorizes your doctors to speak about your condition to designated family members.
2Does a will prevent my estate from going into probate?
Having an executed will alone will not prevent your estate from going into probate. Probate is a court-supervised process for marshaling the decedent's property and assets to pay the decedent's debts and distribute the assets to the decedent's beneficiaries. There are several factors that will determine if probate is either formal or informal in your situation. The types of assets you possess will also decide whether you should have a Living Trust to avoid probate. An experienced Florida estate planning attorney can properly advise you to dispose of and distribute your assets without the extra expense, burden, and delay of involving court intervention and without exposing your will, assets, and family members to the public.
3What is the difference between a will and a revocable trust?
A revocable trust can be a substitute for a will and distributes your property in a similar manner. A revocable trust has an added benefit of possibly avoiding probate, which is open to the public, time-consuming, and costly. If you own real estate properties in several states, you can eliminate probate in each state with a revocable trust. It also provides for incapacity planning by avoiding the conservatorship process, which is established through the court. We can explain the pros and cons of using a revocable trust for your estate.