Wills & Trusts

Haddon Heights, Lawrenceville and Linwood Wills and Trusts Attorneys

At the law firm of Sharp Bratton, our lawyers draft wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents for young families, same-sex couples, families with disabled children, and individuals of all economic backgrounds from average New Jersey wage-earners to the very wealthy.

We pride ourselves on educating our clients and ensuring that they understand the legal implications of each and every step they take or don't take when it comes to estate planning. Estate planning is a lifelong process, and there are different things you can do at different times:

• If you have young children, you should create a will that names a guardian for your children. The guardian is the person whom you can trust to raise your children if you and your spouse should both die in an accident. The guardian should be someone who embodies your values.
• In addition to a will, a power of attorney is important at any age. It allows you to name a trusted person to make decisions for you if you are incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself.
• An advanced care directive allows you to let family members and health care providers know your wishes concerning life-prolonging medical treatment if you are ever in a terminal condition with no hope of recovery.
• Depending on your assets, you may want a trust. A trust allows you to pass assets directly to heirs without the expense and delay of a probate proceeding, if that is in fact a concern. There are also trusts that allow you to avoid or minimize estate taxes. While you may have heard about a large exemption for federal estate taxes, New Jersey only allows you to exempt $675,000 in assets from state estate taxes.
• If you have a child or a family member with special needs, you can also create a special needs trust to provide assets to your loved one without making them ineligible for governmental benefits.

While some web sites provide boilerplate wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents, our lawyers do not use a cookie-cutter approach. We carefully craft these documents using language that, while being all-encompassing and meeting your needs, is still easy for you to understand. These are living, breathing, documents that embody your deepest dreams and wishes. Estate planning is about much more than money and other assets. It is about leaving a legacy. Since every person's situation is unique, there is no single "checklist" to follow for estate planning. You can learn more about estate planning needs by visiting our Estate Planning Information Center.

For more information or to schedule a consultation with New Jersey Accredited Estate Planner about wills, trusts and other estate planning documents, contact Sharp Bratton at ourHaddon Heights, Lawrenceville and Linwood offices.