Author: WB Admin

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Estate Planning on Monday April 12, 2021.

Have you written a will? If so, have you thought about your wishes for your children? Planning your estate is important, but your children’s long-term welfare should be your top priority. For this reason, your will should include the names of legal guardians you feel could best care for your children if you became incapacitated, passed away, or were otherwise unable to provide for them. Before you decide on guardians, the following are some key points to consider.

1. Think about the Big Picture

If one of the guardians you choose passes away before you update your will, and the other is unable to assume the role on their own, you’ll be in a dilemma. So, creating a backup plan that considers all of the “what-ifs” makes good sense, and gives you control of your children’s well-being even if you’re incapacitated or deceased.

2. Provide Detailed Instructions on How Your Children Should be Raised

Is there a certain school you want your children to attend? What about their nutritional needs and religion? As their biological parent, your wishes should be respected. While you can’t certify that your child will study ballet or learn how to play soccer, you can at least make clear your desires about how and where they’re raised.

3. Select Multiple Guardians

Choosing three or four different guardians safeguards your children’s future, particularly if your first or second choice fails to work out. Carefully selecting a number of backup guardians ensures that your children will be taken care of, no matter what happens.

4. Consider Parenting Skills, Beliefs, Finances, Age, and Living Situation

It might be beneficial if the named guardian is a parent, so they already know how to raise children. Also, their religious or moral beliefs, financial situation, age, and living situation are all key factors to consider when thinking about your children’s future life and well-being. If the prospective guardian meets all of your criteria except the element of financial security, you might consider establishing a trust for your children so their guardian can raise them in comfort. 

Ultimately, you are the only one who can determine the ideal custodian for your children if you’re unable to care for them yourself. To learn about how our experienced Florida family law attorneys can help you choose the right guardian and guide you through the guardianship process, call us toll free at 386-252-3000 or fill out the contact form on our website. 

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Estate Planning on Monday March 08, 2021.

Both health care surrogates and a living will serve very similar functions, however, they operate in slightly different ways too. Below is an overview that will provide you with some information on what they are and how they are different, to help you decide which one is best for you.

Health Care Surrogates

A health care surrogate is an individual you appoint to make medical decisions based on your own wishes. You may have also heard it being referred to as a ‘power of attorney’ for health care. After you have appointed someone to be your health care surrogate, they will not get any power to make decisions until you are unable to make them yourself.

Due to the level of responsibility that you will be granting someone, you must be sure of who you decide to appoint. You need to ensure that they have a deep understanding of all your health care wishes and that they will make all decisions based on your own values. It is such a big decision, therefore you need to take plenty of time to consider your options.

Living Will

Much like a health care surrogate, a living will can help by ensuring that your medical decisions are based on your own wishes when you cannot make them yourself. Instead of appointing an individual to make the decisions for you, a living will is a document that will outline all your wishes. Your doctors will be able to follow your living will to ensure that they are treating you in the way that you would have asked. For example, it may contain any types of treatments that you do or do not want and how you feel about resuscitation.

However, while living wills are hugely helpful to doctors, they can be too narrow. It is impossible to foresee all types of situations and therefore it is important to note that your living will may not be helpful in all medical situations.

We Can Help

Overall, both health care surrogates and a living will are there to ensure that all medical decisions are made based on your wishes. While a health care surrogate is an individual making the decisions on your behalf, a living will is a document that outlines your wishes for your doctor to follow.

The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers provides top-notch legal representation to clients in Daytona and southern Florida. Our areas of legal practice include family law, personal injury, eminent domain, and estate planning and probate. Our firm has over 60 years of addressing our clients’ legal issues. Please feel free to contact us by filling out our online form or calling us at (386) 252-3000.

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Estate Planning on Friday February 02, 2021.

When an individual becomes incapacitated without any legalized contingency plans, the decisions and allocutions made regarding the individuals are left to the laws of the state and outside parties claiming to act in the individual’s best wishes. The end results can frequently conflict with the wishes of the incapacitated individual. Consulting with an estate lawyer before an incapacitation can occur can prevent this from happening; estate lawyers can work with individuals to create legally binding power of attorney documentation, guardianship designations, wills, trusts, and other legal processes that ensure that the individual and their property are treated in accordance with their wishes.

Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal document that grants a person the power to act on behalf of another person. The POA defines the decisions that the designated representative can resolve on the person’s behalf; such decisions often include medical care, finances, and personal property. Many states make legal distinctions between durable POAs for healthcare and durable POAs for finances, making the definition and division of assigned duties clearer. A POA can be revoked by the person granting permission as well as by a court issuing a nullification order. POAs are commonly used for individuals planning for contingencies due to severe mental or physical disabilities or incapacitations.

Guardianship

Guardianship is the legal process where a person is assigned to make decisions for another person who cannot communicate their decisions, lack the mental capacities to make sound decisions, or are provably susceptible to fraud or undue influence. Unlike a POA, a guardianship strips the covered person from many of their legal rights and can generally be overturned only by court orders. Guardianships are considered as last resort measures due to the restrictions of rights involved.The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers provides top-notch legal representation to clients in southern Florida. Our areas of legal practice include family law, personal injury, eminent domain, and estate planning and probate. Our firm has over 60 years of addressing our clients’ legal issues. Please feel free to contact us by filling out our online form or calling us at (386) 252-3000.