Trusts and Wills

Estate Planning Document Services

Securing Your Legacy and Protecting Your Loved Ones

Thoughtful estate planning is one of the most significant gifts you can give to your family. It provides clarity, minimizes potential conflicts, and ensures your final wishes regarding your assets and loved ones are honored. However, the process of creating legally sound documents like trusts and wills can seem daunting. ELB Legal Services provides expert document preparation services to help you create a comprehensive estate plan. We translate your decisions into professionally prepared documents, giving you and your family lasting peace of mind.

Disclaimer: Ellen Bynum is a Legal Document Assistant (LDA), not an attorney or estate planning expert. We cannot provide legal or financial advice, recommend specific estate planning strategies, or advise on tax implications. Our role is strictly to prepare estate planning documents based on the specific direction and information you provide. For complex estates or legal advice, we strongly recommend consulting an estate planning attorney.

Key Estate Planning Documents We Prepare

We work directly with you to understand your wishes and then meticulously prepare the documents that reflect those choices. Our services include the preparation of:

• Revocable Living Trust: This is a powerful estate planning tool. A living trust holds your assets for your benefit during your lifetime and allows for their seamless transfer to your designated beneficiaries upon your death, typically avoiding the time-consuming and costly probate court process. We can help you prepare the trust document itself, which outlines your trustees, beneficiaries, and instructions for asset distribution.
• Pour-Over Will: This is a special type of will that works in conjunction with a living trust. It is designed to “catch” any assets that you may have forgotten to transfer into your trust during your lifetime and “pours” them into the trust upon your death. This ensures all your assets are distributed according to the terms of your trust.
• Last Will and Testament: A traditional will is a legal document that specifies how your property should be distributed after your death. It also allows you to nominate a guardian for your minor children. While assets passed through a will generally must go through probate, it is a foundational and essential part of any estate plan.
• Durable Power of Attorney for Finances: This critical document allows you to appoint a trusted person (your “agent” or “attorney-in-fact”) to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated and unable to do so yourself. This can include paying bills, managing investments, and handling real estate transactions.
• Advance Health Care Directive: This document, also known as a living will or medical power of attorney, allows you to state your wishes for end-of-life medical care and to appoint an agent to make health care decisions on your behalf if you cannot communicate them yourself.

The ELB Legal Services Estate Planning Process

Our process is designed to be clear, thorough, and empowering for you.

1. Initial Consultation: We discuss your goals and explain the function of each estate planning document so you can make informed decisions. We will provide you with a detailed worksheet to help you organize your thoughts, assets, and beneficiary information.
2. Information and Decision Gathering: You complete the worksheet, making all the key decisions: who will be your beneficiaries, trustees, executors, and agents; how your assets will be distributed; and what your health care wishes are.
3. Professional Document Drafting: Using the exact information and decisions you have provided, Ellen Bynum will draft your complete set of estate planning documents. We ensure the language is precise and the formatting complies with California legal standards.
4. Comprehensive Review: You will have an opportunity to review every document carefully to ensure it perfectly reflects your wishes. We will make any necessary corrections or changes based on your feedback.
5. Finalization and Signing Instructions: Once you approve the final drafts, we will provide you with the professionally prepared documents along with clear instructions on how to properly sign, witness, and notarize them to ensure their legal validity.

Creating an estate plan is an act of responsibility and love. Don’t let the complexity of the paperwork stop you. Contact ELB Legal Services for affordable, professional assistance in preparing the documents that will protect your legacy and your family’s future.