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PREMIER ESTATE PLANNING SERVICEs

Estate planning is an important step in preparing your legacy and ensuring your wishes are followed after you pass away.

INDIVIDUALIZED ESTATE PLANNING

Estate planning is necessary and important in order to make sure your wishes are honored and that your family is taken care of after your death. You do not have to be a millionaire in order to need an estate plan. If you own property or have any accounts, you may benefit from having an estate plan to make sure it gets divided how you want it and to the people you want instead of what the law requires. Estate plans are also essential in planning for potential healthcare needs in case you become incapacitated or otherwise unable to make decisions on your own. Our estate planning attorneys have years of experience assisting clients in preparing their legacies. 

The fundamental documents in a solid estate plan include a Last Will & Testament, Durable General Power of Attorney, Health Care Power of Attorney, and Living Will. Peoples’ needs vary, so you are free to pick and choose from this package as you wish. Our attorneys will go over all of your options with you so you can make an informed decision about your needs and get the documents that most make sense for you. Depending on your particular situation, you may also need additional documents, such as deeds, trusts, or other custom estate planning tools. You may also need someone to come to you if you are unable to travel. This is something that can be discussed with the attorney and may include additional fees as well, depending on how far the attorney and any witnesses need to travel Those fees are quoted at the time of consultation and are based on the expertise involved and the time we expect to spend on the matter. 

Once the attorney has discussed your options with you and you have decided which documents are needed, our office will draft all the necessary documents and have you come back to our office to sign. The turnaround for most documents is two weeks, however, more complex plans may take more time. 

What we do

Legal Services

Litigation Legal Services

THE TYPICAL ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS WE DRAFT INCLUDE:

LAST WILL & TESTAMENT

A Last Will & Testament commonly referred to as a Will, is a legal document that outlines how a deceased person’s estate should be distributed and what should happen to any minor children. Without a Will, a person’s estate is distributed according to the state’s intestacy laws, potentially making distribution complicated and different than what the decedent may have wanted. Even if a loved one made verbal wishes while they were alive, if they are not written down in a will, the person in charge of the estate will have to follow state laws instead. The creation of a Will can also simplify the probate process and lower the costs of administration.

DURABLE GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY

A Durable General Power of Attorney, most commonly known as simply a “Power of Attorney,” gives specific powers to a named person (known as the agent or attorney-in-fact) to act on your behalf while you are alive. Powers can include handling financial transactions, making financial gifts, managing insurance policies, selling property, and managing digital assets, to name a few. Powers of Attorney can be put in place immediately, or you can choose to have the Power of Attorney go into effect upon if you become incompetent and unable to make your own decisions. A Power of Attorney has no effect after a person passes away.

HEALTH CARE POWER OF ATTORNEY

A Health Care Power of Attorney allows a named person to make medical decisions on your behalf only in the event that you are unconscious, incompetent, or unable to make decisions on your own. You may want a Health Care Power of Attorney before going into surgery, for example, so the doctors and hospital know who to talk to if needed.

ADVANCE DIRECTIVE FOR A NATURAL DEATH (“LIVING WILL”)

Living Wills detail a person’s wishes for achieving a natural death. This includes but is not limited to decisions about life support, artificial nutrition, and what you may want to be done you’re your body after you die. With your wishes in writing, family members know what your wishes are and do not have to make tough decisions.

Choose the Estate Plan Package that serves your needs.

Simple

Individual
$400
  • Last Will & Testament
  • Filing of Will at Courthouse (Optional)
  • Estate Information Guide
  • *$500 for a Couple
Get Started

Enhanced

Individual
$600
  • Last Will & Testament
  • Durable General Power of Attorney
  • HC POA/Advance Directive
  • Filing of Will at Courthouse (Optional)
  • Separate HIPAA Release (Optional)
  • Estate Information Guide
  • *$700 for a Couple
Get Started

Comprehensive

Individual
$1750
  • Revocable Trust Agreement
  • Last Will & Testament
  • Durable General Power of Attorney
  • HC POA/Advance Directive
  • Filing of Will at Courthouse (Optional)
  • Separate HIPAA Release (Optional)
  • Assignment of Personal Effects (Optional)
  • One NC QuitClaim Deed to Trust (including filing fee) (Optional)
  • Estate Information Guide
  • *$1900 for a Couple
Get Started

PRICING DISCLAIMER

Our office makes every effort to individually price each estate plan, however, the pricing table above acts as a standard for us in quoting fees. Some variation may occur where unusual estate planning needs have to be addressed or when the client’s wishes are more or less complex than what is typical. During the initial consultation, you will be provided with an exact quote for services and an explanation of how we arrived at that price.

Additional fees may be quoted at the time of service for:

  • Assistance with changing beneficiaries
  • Complex/custom provisions
  • Consent for health care for a minor
  • HIPAA release
  • Irrevocable trust planning
  • Recording of additional documents
  • Testamentary trust provisions
  • Travel time for an attorney (if travel required)
  • Travel time for witnesses (if witnesses are needed)

The Typical Estate Planning Documents We Draft Include:

  • Last Will and Testament
  • Durable General Power of Attorney
  • Health Care Power of Attorney
  • Advanced Directive for a Natural Death (“Living Will”)

 

 

Individualized Estate Planning

While we do package estate planning documents for a lot of our clients and charge one reasonable flat fee for the drafting of all the documents at one time, our attorneys understand that people have unique situations that do not neatly fit into our packages and require more specific plans. For example, we regularly draft NC Revocable Living Trusts for our clients after full discussion of the benefits and detriments of such an addition to the estate planning package, as well as testamentary trusts to our Wills to handle children getting assets from a Will. We can help with individualized North Carolina estate plans, including Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Special Needs Trusts, and other documents that assist with individualized needs for our North Carolina clients.

NON-AMBULATORY CLIENTS

For clients who are non-ambulatory or have difficulty traveling, please communicate the situation when you contact our office and we will make arrangements to consult in your home. It is important to us that we are available and can meet the needs of all of our clients. We regularly visit clients and provide consultation over the kitchen table, at a nursing home, or in a hospital on occasion.

CONTACT US FOR HELP WITH YOUR ESTATE PLAN

At Hopler, Wilms, & Hanna, PLLC, you can select any or all of the documents in an estate planning package or receive individualized planning. If you’d like to inquire about an estate planning package or another document, contact us today.

Service Features

  • Get a one week turnaround from the receipt of all information needed to complete your plan. Complex plans may take more time.
  • We also provide same day or next day turnaround if circumstances demand it, such as international business trips or dire prognosis from a medical problem.

Pricing Disclaimer

Our office make every effort to individually price each estate plan, but the pricing table above acts as a standard for us in quoting fees. Some variation may occur where unusual estate planning needs have to be addressed or the client’s wishes are more complex or less complex that what is typical. At the time of consultation, you will be provided with an exact quote for services and an explanation of how we arrived at that price.

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