All adults, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, need estate planning. For LGBTQ+ couples, however, failing to have a well-crafted plan in place can present additional risks. Treetown Law is committed to serving the unique needs of every family—and to ensuring your family relationships are honored and protected through estate planning.

While estate planning is important for every family, it becomes even more important for couples in second or subsequent marriages. New relationships that grow later in life can be wonderfully fulfilling, but the children and assets each partner brings to the family can create complexities. A thoughtfully-crafted estate plan can bring harmony to blended families by assuring all members will be treated fairly.

You’ve made it to the end of your divorce journey, and you are ready for a fresh start. Congratulations! Your new, post-divorce estate plan is an integral part of the new life you are creating, and it is a critical final step in the process of untangling your life from that of your ex. Here are five things to keep in mind when planning your estate after divorce.

During this transition between deciding to end your marriage and the finalization of your divorce, not having an estate plan—or not updating a plan you created with your spouse—can prove especially risky.

When parents designate a guardian for their children, they can choose whether to have the same person be guardian over both person and property or whether to give these separate roles to separate people. In this blog post, we provide a framework for choosing a guardian of property—which can be either a conservator (if you do not have a trust in place) or a trustee (if you do have a trust in place).

The most important planning decision you will make as a parent is choosing the legal guardian for your minor child. In fact, many parents report that they delay making an estate plan because they simply hit a wall when they consider this question. It is painful to imagine someone else raising your children. But failing to pick a guardian means a court will choose one for you—and it may not be the person you think is best. . . . Don’t wait. An estate planner can provide helpful guidance as you consider who to designate.

When you were pregnant, you meticulously watched your diet and researched the safety ratings of all the car seats. When your baby was born, you bought BPA-free bottles and toys. And unlike your parents in the 80s and 90s, you put a helmet on your kid when they learned how to scooter or bike.

When it comes to your child, you leave nothing to chance.

Except—if you don’t have an estate plan—you are leaving A LOT to chance. If you are a parent of minor children, there are three things you need to consider today: (1) Guardianship; (2) Money; and (3) Emergencies.

For 18 years, you’ve been an advocate for your child’s medical, financial, academic, and legal concerns. It can come as a surprise, then, when your child turns 18, and suddenly you are no longer their agent in the eyes of the law.