Estate Planning for Two: Should You Get Two Lawyers?

Law Blog

When you build a life with another person, you can build up quite a few assets. Although you're hopefully in agreement about what to do with those assets while you're together, it can be more challenging to come to an agreement on what happens to these assets when one or both of you passes away. Some couples choose to use a single estate planner, while others will each choose their own estate planning attorney. Which option is best for you?

Do You Have Children?

If you have children together, you probably share an equal interest in those children. When one of you has children separately from the other, that can get tricky. In those cases, some couples choose to write their own wills to deal with just their half of the assets. You can split up those assets however you would like among your children without having to go through tricky negotiations with your spouse. 

Do You Each Tend to Get an Equal Say?

It's one thing to have one person generally pick where the couple goes out to eat. It's another for one member of the couple to speak over their spouse and decide where all of their worldly assets are going to go. Do you and your spouse tend to hear each other out and make a decision that benefits both people? Maybe it would be fine to have a single estate planning attorney. But if there is some tension in who gets to do most of the talking, creating your wills separately could ease that situation. 

Was There a Prenup?

Another thing that can complicate the process is if there was a prenup. Generally, that prenup will have some say in how each person's assets are handled when the couple is dissolved. So, if a spouse dies, they may want their assets to go to someone else or be split more fairly among family members. Without a prenup and a set legal arrangement, one spouse is set to inherit everything in the event of another's death. But prenups complicate things, and you'll want to talk with an estate planning attorney about how to go about your will. 

Is There an Age Gap?

When one spouse is considerably older, the issue of estate planning may be significantly more important to the spouse who is older. In those cases, you might want a separate estate planner to deal with that person's half of the assets and your own. 

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13 September 2017

How to Gain Guardianship Over a Child

The laws governing child custody and guardianship can be confusing. As a family attorney, I have helped many clients gain legal guardianship over a foster child or a relative's child. Getting legal guardianship of a child you are caring for is important because you need to be able to make decisions about that child's education, health care and other matters. This blog will help you navigate the world of legal guardianship and show you how to take steps to get guardianship over a child whether the child's parents are cooperative or not. Legal guardianship does matter even if a child is not going to be adopted. I hope to help people find the way to get this done.