Baton Rouge Wills Lawyer

Baton Rouge Wills Attorney

A will specifies how you’d like your assets to be divided and distributed after your death. It’s a key component of the estate planning process that a Baton Rouge wills lawyer can help with. Without a will, your assets will be divided by intestate law, in which you’ll get no say. Not specifying your wishes for your estate can also result in an increased likelihood of disputes between family members.

The Rowe & Manning Law Firm LLC has extensive experience in helping people craft their wills and estate plans. There are many critical aspects of a will that must meet the expectations of Louisiana law in order for it to be considered valid. We help ensure that these requirements are properly fulfilled. This can drastically reduce the likelihood of your will being challenged during succession.

What a Baton Rouge Wills Lawyer Does

A Baton Rouge wills lawyer can assist with the designing and drafting of a will. This process involves sitting down with our clients, understanding what they desire their will to accomplish, and learning how they want their estate managed and distributed when they are gone. Often, this document will be part of a more complex estate plan.

It’s important that our clients take advantage of all the benefits offered by a will. That’s why we ask questions regarding concerns that they may not have considered yet. This allows us to ensure that the will is comprehensive and covers all of the critical issues that wills are designed to address.

Once we have a thorough understanding of our client’s objectives, it becomes our responsibility to draft their will. It’s crucial that this be done properly. There are laws governing how a will must be crafted and how estate distribution will need to occur, and failure to properly include these requirements could lead to challenges and the will being invalidated.

Will design can be particularly complex in Louisiana, where our legal heritage is heavily influenced by French, Spanish, and other maintained European legal traditions rather than British common law, as with most other states. Matters such as forced heirship, for instance, need to be taken into consideration when designing a will.

Once the will is drafted, it will need to be signed. It’s important that this be done properly, that the signer be of sound mind, and that they be free from any undue influence. These are the kinds of issues that could lead to challenges regarding the validity of the will. It may also need to meet other legal requirements, such as the involvement of a notary, that our lawyers review with our clients.

Making Changes to Your Will

Once a will is signed and in place, there may be a desire to make alterations as time goes on and circumstances change. We help ensure that those changes meet legal expectations as well. For instance, you may want to change your will after a divorce or after having children. After we’ve finished creating or changing your will, it’s crucial to store it in a safe place.

FAQs:

Do I Need A Will?

No one enjoys thinking about his or her eventual death or incapacity. However, taking some time to think about your final wishes can have tremendous benefits for you and your loved ones. At the Rowe & Manning Law Firm LLC, we are committed to helping individuals and families plan for the future. We can help you determine what estate planning tools are right for you, then develop strong documents to protect your interests.

A last will and testament has many benefits for you and the loved ones you may leave behind. Properly drafted, a will can allow you to:

• Determine who inherits which of your assets and property after your death
• Name a guardian for your minor children in the event of your incapacity or death
• Create a trust for your heirs
• Minimize estate tax liability

What Happens If I Die Without A Will In Place?

Louisiana has complex estate planning laws in place that govern who inherits a decedent’s property after his or her death. Your children, spouse, siblings, nieces and nephews are all part of Louisiana’s order of inheritance. If you would like certain individuals to inherit particular assets — or if you wish to exclude anyone from receiving your property — a will allows you to make those wishes known.

Q: Do You Need a Baton Rouge Wills Lawyer to Write a Will?

A: You don’t need a Baton Rouge wills lawyer to write a will from a technical perspective. However, it can be very difficult to write a will that meets all of the necessary qualifications on your own. This can often lead to issues related to challenging the validity of the will and questioning whether or not the estate will be distributed according to the will. Working with a lawyer is the surest way to have a well-crafted will that can stand up to legal scrutiny.

Q: Can a Will Be Invalidated?

A: A will can be invalidated in Louisiana in certain cases. Most of the time, a will is determined to be invalid if it is challenged on specific grounds, and the court finds that there is enough reason to support the grounds and invalidate the will. These types of challenges are often related to the fitness of the testator or whether or not the will fits with Louisiana law. A lawyer can be critical to ensuring that your will can stand up to scrutiny and avoid being invalidated.

Q: Do I Only Need a Will, or Is Other Estate Planning Necessary?

A: You may only need a will, but it is possible that other estate planning could be necessary. For many people, a will is just part of a comprehensive estate plan. However, a good estate plan should be custom-designed to fit your needs and desires. It’s often helpful to work with an experienced estate planning lawyer to ensure that you have the right estate plan for your objectives.

Q: Will a Will Prevent My Family From Fighting Over the Estate When I’m Gone?

A: A will may not entirely prevent your family from fighting over the estate when you’re gone, but it can have a significant impact by reducing the potential disputes and contention. In some cases, it may be enough to prevent fighting. However, for a will to have such an impactful effect on possible family conflict, it needs to be designed properly and with the help of an experienced lawyer.

Let the Rowe & Manning Law Firm LLC Help You Put Together an Effective Will

A will is a critical part of estate planning, and for many people, it’s the central element of the process. It can bring peace of mind and comfort to know that you have some say in how your assets will be distributed rather than the state deciding how the estate will be managed. However, to have this kind of assurance, it’s crucial that the will be thorough and stand up to potential scrutiny or challenges.

At the Rowe & Manning Law Firm LLC, we help clients create wills that achieve their objectives and give them the peace of mind they are seeking. Often, these wills are part of a broader estate planning process in which our clients receive custom-tailored plans based on their desired outcomes for their estates. If you’re looking to ensure that your will fits Louisiana’s requirements, contact our team today.