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Our Services
Estate & Trust Planning
Believe it or not, nearly everyone has an estate. It’s simply a compilation of everything we own. And they all have one thing in common: we can’t take them with us when we die. This is why estate planning- ‘having our affairs in order’- can be the greatest gift we can give our families.
An estate plan is a series of key legal documents that provides a detailed roadmap- and protection- for our family to use in the event of our incapacitation or death. It can include documents such as your Last Will and Testament, Living Will, financial, medical and parental Power of Attorneys, Trusts and Burial Instructions.
Lisa understands how sensitive and meaningful such matters are to her clients and believes that there is no cookie-cutter mold for estate planning. Each family comes with uniqueness and its own complexity, which means that her ultimate goal is to not only help them to craft their unique estate plan, but also to provide unparalleled support and compassion, an essential component of Lisa’s practice and a key differentiator in the way she practices law.
Probate and Trust Administration
We have all heard the horrors of probate, but what is probate anyway? Simply put, probate is merely a glorified method of transferring assets from a deceased person to the beneficiaries. While many of us may elect to create revocable trusts in conjunction with our last will and testament as a way of avoiding a probate of our estate when we die, there is ultimately still an administration process of getting the assets to the beneficiaries.
Death triggers an extensive list of administrative tasks with the end goal of wrapping up the deceased person’s affairs, dealing with creditors and distributing assets to beneficiaries. This process can be not only time consuming, but emotionally taxing.
From guiding executors through the probate process to advising trustees in the administration of a trust, Lisa intimately understands the impact of losing a loved one and, through compassionate listening, she aims to alleviate fears and assist families in the administrative burdens of disability and death so that families can focus on rebuilding their families- and their lives.
Business Succession Planning
If you’re a business owner, then you need an exit strategy. Why? Because inevitably, the time will come when you’re no longer with the company. That’s why it’s so important to be proactive in your long-term planning as it pertains to your professional goals and the longevity of your organization.
Succession planning is a strategy for passing on leadership roles- or company ownership- to family members, an employee or group of employees. Sometimes referred to as ‘replacement planning,’ the goal is to make sure that businesses continue to operate smoothly after a company's most important people leave, retire, or pass away.
As a business owner herself, Lisa understands the importance of taking a proactive approach to long-term business planning. She works with clients, not only as an attorney and tax advisor, but as a counselor and a friend, to get clear on their goals, to devise liability protection structures and to craft the optimal overall plan for the next generation of their business.
Strategic Tax Planning
Taxes are a necessity, and while estate planning decisions are rarely made purely based on tax efficiency, no one wants to pay more in taxes than necessary. So how do we tackle this challenge? With research, flexibility and a plan that adjusts to meet clients’ needs over time, while minimize estate tax bills.
According to Forbes, ‘most tax advisors may not be even aware of – or believe possible – the many legitimate techniques to build real wealth via tax control.’ Tax law is very complex and changes regularly, which means that it requires deep study to master.
Lisa firmly believes that a little time spent tax planning can add up to big benefits for everyone- individuals and families. She understands that clients make informed decisions when they truly understand their options, so to this end, she prides herself in presenting complex legal and tax concepts in plain language. Lisa’s goal is to help clients manage their wealth most effectively, reduce their total outflow and keep more money in their family’s pockets where it belongs.
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