Odessa Estate Planning

Find the right Wills & Trusts attorney in Odessa, TX

Most people in Odessa have preferences about what should be done with their property after they die. This is why the procedure of estate planning exists - it allows people to make a broad range of decisions related to this issue.

If you want to start the process of planning your estate, you've made a good choice, particularly if you care about what happens to your survivors after you're gone. You should be careful, however, and make sure you have the help of a legal and financial expert every step of the way. This will likely prove very helpful in the long run, preventing a lot of problems in the future.

In the process of estate planning, you'll likely also deal with issues that can affect you during life. These include issues like power of attorney (to ensure that your wishes are carried out even if you're unable to express them), as well as instructions to your doctors and family regarding medical care. A reputable estate planner can also help you achieve your goals, while minimizing the effects of expenses like court fees and taxes.

A reputable estate planner in Odessa, can make this process much easier, minimizing the chances that your estate plan will end up in court, saving your survivors a huge amount of time and money.

Common Features of Odessa Estates

Will: This is a legal document which transfers ownership of the testator's (the person making the will) property to named beneficiaries after the testator's death. The beneficiaries can be just about anyone the testator chooses, but smaller estates, usually only include family members, and maybe very close friends. If you want, you can place conditions on gifts (say, leaving a certain amount of money to your son, but only if he graduates college before he turns 25 - this is just an example). However, a will can't actually compel anyone to do anything, and some conditional gifts won't be enforced, typically because they involve an illegal act, or require a person to marry or refrain from marrying a specific person.

Living Will: Unlike ordinary wills, a living will contains instructions regarding a person's medical care. Some recent high-profile controversies have illustrated the importance of making a living will, even for younger individuals. In a living will, you can give your family members and doctors instructions about your desired medical care, in case you become incapacitated (comatose or brain-dead, for example) and can't tell them yourself. Some people say that they would not want to be kept alive by artificial means if they are in a vegetative state, and there's no chance of recovery. If this is you, that's definitely something to include in a living will. Of course, if you would prefer the opposite, being kept alive as long as is medically feasible, you can put that in your living will, as well.

Power of Attorney: What if you become incapacitated, and can't make your own decisions? It would be nice if somebody knew what you would want in a given situation, and, on top of that, had the legal authority to make that decision for you. Power of attorney lets you do exactly that, granting a person of your choice the ability to make certain decisions for you, in case you, for whatever reason, can't (you can, of course, control the scope of power that you grant).

Funeral Arrangements: You should make it very clear to the individuals handling your funeral what type of funeral you want, and what you want done with your body. You should not put these instructions in your will, because wills are often not read until days or weeks after the testator dies, by which point it may be too late to give their wishes on this subject effect.

Do I Need a Odessa Estates Lawyer?

A reputable estate planning professional in Odessa can be invaluable, and you will probably find their services to be well worth the price. They can make the whole process a great deal simpler, and they can also help to minimize the chances that your estate plan will be disputed, saving your survivors a great deal of time, money, and energy.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Odessa

Odessa, Texas is a city in Ector County, Texas, and it has a population of about 100,000 people. It is the principle city in the Odessa Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Odessa was founded as a water stop for the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1880s. From these humble beginnings, it gradually grew into a thriving medium-sized city.

The major employers in Odessa are the school district, hospital, and the Halliburton Corporation, which has an office in the area. These employ thousands of people in a wide variety of disciplines.

The Odessa area is currently a major regional center for the performing and visual arts, particularly the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra. It is also home to the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library, focused on the Presidency of the United States. It is dedicated to informing the public about the office of the presidency, rather than any particular president.

There are many lawyers in and around Odessa, Texas, who reflect the diversity and values of the community. There are plenty of Odessa, Texas attorneys who can handle just about any legal issue you might be facing. If you need legal assistance of any kind, an Odessa, Texas attorney can help.

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