Over 20 years of helping families thrive in unique ways

Washington Estate Planning Attorney

Estate planning is an important task that too many people put off. Studies over the years have shown that fewer than 50% of people have an estate plan. There’s never been a better time to create one than right now.

At Christina T. Sherman, PLLC, our firm’s founder has been helping families in Fircrest and the surrounding communities for more than 20 years. Attorney Christina T. Sherman helps families grow through surrogacy and adoption, which also means she is keenly in tune with how a growing family can affect your estate planning needs.

When you work hard to grow your family, it is important to review your existing estate plan or create a new one to make sure that your growing family is taken care of and you have designated guardians for your minor children.

What Is Estate Planning?

Estate planning involves preparing for anticipated events, such as death or incapacity. With a comprehensive estate plan, our clients take control of what will happen to their assets, as well as who will make decisions for them when they cannot decide critical issues for themselves.

An estate plan usually has many pieces, all of which should be tailored to your specific needs. Some of the most common estate planning documents include:

Wills and trusts: You can use a will to identify who will inherit from you, name a personal representative to shepherd your estate through probate and name guardians to take care of minor children. A trust is one way to hold property. Our clients transfer assets to the trust, which is managed by a trustee. A living trust is a common example of this arrangement, though there are others.
Community property agreements: Spouses can avoid probate by signing a CPA. This document converts all property into community property. When one spouse dies, the other will not need to go through probate because they already have full control of the community property.
Living will: Our clients can decide what end-of-life medical care they want, such as ventilation, hydration or a feeding tube, with a living will.
Durable power of attorney for health care: You can appoint an agent to make medical decisions for you when your condition declines so that you need help. Imagine you become incapacitated by a stroke. Your agent can decide what future care you receive.
Durable power of attorney for finances: An agent can also make financial transactions, such as cashing checks, paying bills or making larger financial transactions, such as selling real estate. You can decide how much power to give an agent.
Life insurance planning: Purchasing life insurance is a great estate planning technique that provides funds immediately available to your family.

Attorney Christina T. Sherman has extensive experience creating or revising estate plans for adoptive parents. This is a deliberative process that requires thinking carefully about your goals.

Estate Planning Mistakes

Estate planning is a deliberative process. Anyone who rushes to create a plan can make some errors that have tragic consequences:

You create an ineffective legal document. For example, you might not create a will properly, in which case a probate judge will not accept it. Your carefully crafted estate plan can fall to pieces, and your assets might pass through the Washington intestacy laws.
You forget someone. You might not leave assets to a friend or family member who is expecting them.
You end up creating a huge tax bill for loved ones who have no way to pay for it. We have different strategies to protect your family.
The estate plan you create causes tension in your family, which you could have avoided.
A disabled child inherits from you and suddenly cannot receive government benefits.

At Christina T. Sherman, PLLC, our firm’s attorney has the experience to help you evaluate your estate planning needs and help you craft an estate plan that is right for your growing family.

Should An Adoption Impact Your Estate Plan?

An adoption is a significant life-altering event. Even if you already have children, you should take a fresh look at your estate plan to see if it still meets your needs. It makes sense to revise the plan even before the adoption goes through. If you don’t have an estate plan, now is the time to create one.

Our firm has helped many families with adoption, although we can also create an estate plan even if you are not currently planning to add to your family.

Estate Plan Considerations Before Adoption

Many clients want to make provisions in their will for the adoptee. Once a child is adopted, they are on equal footing with your biological children. But you might fear dying before the adoption goes through, in which case you will want to ensure they can inherit from you. We can revise your will or trust to name the child as a beneficiary.

Estate Plan Considerations After Adoption

Once the adoption is finalized, other considerations come into play. For example, adoptive parents will need to decide who will serve as their child’s guardian in the event of their death. Our office can talk about different options, including other family members. You should also have contingencies in place in case your first choice declines to serve as guardian after you have passed.

As the years roll by, you might also need to revise an estate plan to reflect changed circumstances. One issue is whether your child has special needs and requires government services or assistance. Leaving assets to your child could make them ineligible for means-tested government programs. We can discuss different estate planning vehicles, such as a trust, which can help preserve eligibility while providing assets.

Another consideration with a disabled child is guardianship. You might need to appoint a legal guardian to serve in this capacity.

Attorney Sherman is a fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. If you are planning to adopt and want an estate plan created at the same time, she can help. Our premier adoption organization is committed to upholding the highest ethical values in the legal profession.

Call A Washington Estate Planning Lawyer

Attorney Christina T. Sherman is an estate planning attorney in Washington. She has helped countless men and women expand their families, and she understands how a solid estate plan can increase the confidence new parents feel. To find out more about how our office can help, please call 253-466-2775 to schedule a consultation. You can also reach us by sending us a message through our website.