Wills & Estate Planning

Practical Planning for You, Your Family and Your Future

A well-prepared estate plan provides clarity about what happens to your property, your business interests and the people who depend on you.

Brooks Business Law helps individuals, families and business owners put practical estate plans in place. Whether your circumstances are straightforward or involve corporations, business interests, significant assets or a blended family, we work with you to understand what matters and prepare documents that reflect your wishes.

Our Wills & Estate Planning Services

We regularly assist clients with:

• Wills
• Mirror and spousal wills
• Powers of attorney
• Personal care directives
• Estate planning
• Business owner estate planning
• Corporate and business succession planning
• Planning for minor children
• Guardianship provisions
• Blended family estate planning
• Planning for cottages and other significant assets
• Charitable gifts and bequests
• Review and updating of existing estate plans
• Coordination of estate planning with corporate structures and business interests

More Than Just a Will

A will is an important part of an estate plan, but it is not the only document that matters.

A complete estate plan should consider what happens both during your lifetime and after your death. This commonly includes a will dealing with your estate, a power of attorney appointing someone to manage financial and legal matters if necessary, and a personal directive addressing personal and health care decisions.

We help clients understand how these documents work together and prepare an estate plan appropriate for their circumstances.

Planning for Your Family

Estate planning becomes particularly important when other people depend on you.

For parents of minor children, a will provides an opportunity to address guardianship and establish how assets should be managed for children until they reach an appropriate age.

For couples and blended families, careful planning can help balance competing considerations involving spouses, partners, children and stepchildren.

Every family is different. We take the time to understand your circumstances and help you make informed decisions about how your estate should be structured.

Estate Planning for Business Owners

Business owners often require more sophisticated estate planning.

Shares in a corporation, partnership interests, shareholder agreements, business assets and succession plans can all affect what happens following the death of an owner. Personal estate planning should therefore be coordinated with the legal structure of the business.

As a business law firm, Brooks Business Law is particularly well positioned to assist entrepreneurs and business owners whose estate planning intersects with their corporate affairs.

We can work with your accountant, financial advisor, insurance professional and other advisors to help ensure that your personal estate plan and business structure work together.

When Should You Review Your Will?

Estate planning is not something that should necessarily be completed once and forgotten.

A will and related documents should be reviewed periodically and whenever there is a significant change in your personal or financial circumstances. This may include marriage or separation, the birth of a child, the acquisition or sale of a business, a significant change in assets, the death of a beneficiary or executor, or a move to another jurisdiction.

Even where circumstances have not changed dramatically, periodically reviewing an older estate plan can help ensure that it continues to reflect your wishes.

A Clear and Practical Process

Estate planning can seem complicated, but the process does not need to be.

We focus on asking the right questions, identifying the issues that matter and explaining your options in straightforward language. Once we understand your circumstances and objectives, we prepare the necessary documents and guide you through their review and execution.

Our goal is to make estate planning clear, efficient and comfortable while ensuring that the documents are carefully prepared for your particular circumstances.

Why Choose Brooks Business Law?

Our estate planning practice combines practical personal planning with extensive experience in corporate and business law.

Clients choose Brooks Business Law because we provide:

• Clear and practical estate planning advice
• Experience with both straightforward and complex estate plans
• Particular experience advising entrepreneurs and business owners
• Integrated corporate, business succession and estate planning advice
• Personalized service based on your circumstances and objectives
• An efficient and straightforward planning process

Whether you need your first will, are updating an existing estate plan or need to coordinate your personal planning with a business or corporate structure, our team can help.

Contact Brooks Business Law to discuss your will and estate planning needs.