Estate & Trust Planning & Asset Protection
Estate Planning and Asset Protection Lawyer in Dallas
Planning for the future and for the unknown is an important step in everyone's life. When you establish a thorough estate plan and asset protection strategy, your assets and legacy are protected for future generations. At the law office of Stephen Kaplan, P.C., our staff is dedicated to helping clients determine their wishes and the assets that require protection.
Providing for the Financial Security of Your Family
We provide comprehensive estate planning and probate services to our clients across the Dallas and Metroplex area. Our firm regularly drafts estate plans for estates of all sizes. The types of documents that we help clients establish include:
- Wills
- Trusts (including: testamentary trusts, living trusts, Crummey trusts, ILITs, dynasty trusts, GST trusts and other types of trusts)
- Family limited partnerships
- Durable powers of attorney
- Health care planning documents
- Asset protection strategies and arrangements
We prepare premarital agreements to assist clients with estate planning before they marry. We also prepare annual partition agreements after the marriage, if that is part of the estate plan.
Protecting More of What You Earn - Asset Protection Planning
The primary goal of asset protection is not tax avoidance but guarding against litigation, judgments and liens in numerous contexts, including, but not limited to:
- Personal liability of corporate officers and directors
- Liability as guarantor for the debts of another
- Professional malpractice liabilities
- Suits by former business partners
- Personal injury suffered on your property
- Personal injuries involving your motor vehicle
- Liability arising from personal malfeasance
Insurance alone cannot adequately protect you against all of these threats in all cases. We help clients protect wealth using lawfully established trusts and other legal techniques. For Texas clients, we make sparing use of offshore trusts and business entities (LLCs), because (a) such transactions are reported to the IRS and draw heavy scrutiny, and (b) Texas law provides decent asset protection through simpler avenues. We help clients distribute the risk by taking advantage of protections afforded through IRAs, certain trusts, life insurance policies and annuities, home equity and deferred benefit retirement plans. We can also help clients establish a credit shelter trust or bypass trust when the goal is to protect a minor child's assets from access by third parties.
Our firm focuses on tax laws regarding estates and trusts. By anticipating any tax implications, we work with our clients to make sure we minimize the burdens of estate and gift taxes to the extent possible. If necessary, we seek the assistance of your family accountant to ensure that all possible tax repercussions are addressed.
Trust and Probate Litigation
In trust and probate litigation, we represent clients when there are disputes between beneficiaries of an estate or trust or when there are disputes regarding the manner in which an executor or trustee has administered that estate or trust. When necessary, we consult a forensic accountant and other experts to determine if financial mismanagement of a trust occurred or if undue influence was involved in changing a will.
Contact a Texas estate planning attorney at the law office of Stephen Kaplan, P.C., today to discuss your options with a member of our firm.
