You skipped “Wills, Trusts & Estates” in law school, but are getting a queasy feeling that your work for your client may have an impact on your client’s estate planning issues—but are not sure how, or what to do about it. Or, you’re just plain concerned about your own future and the future of key people in your life. Either way, this session is for you! It will provide an overview of basic and more advanced estate planning issues to highlight the things you or your client need to consider and do, and the impact marriage may have. It will review in particular the basic document tools for estate planning: Healthcare Power of Attorney & Advance Directive; Durable General Power of Attorney; Last Will and Testament; Disposition of Bodily Remains. It will touch on issues relating to the children of LGBT couples, and addresses the impact the SECURE Act has on non-married LGBT couples. It will provide an overview and update of current tax law affecting estate planning. It will also address pitfalls and how to avoid them: prenuptial agreements; proper execution of documents; litigation regarding the validity of estate planning documents; guardianship options. Finally, the session will provide a brief overview of public benefits to which your client or client’s family members may be entitled (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, et al.), and the eligibility requirements for those benefits. The session will provide guidance on how to avoid inadvertently jeopardizing eligibility for public benefits, and provide some alternatives for simple estate planning for low-income individuals and couples.

Download CLE materials here.