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Estate Planning for the LGBT Community
Guidance and assistance with Living Trusts, Health Care Powers of Attorney, and Asset Distribution.

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HOME > Estate Planning for the LGBT Community

The Problems Estate Planning Solves for the LGBT Community

A LGBT couple can avoid numerous problems through proper estate planning:

A Living Trust can establish the client's domestic partner as the trustee, i.e. manager of the client's affairs (if he or she so desires) if the client becomes incapacitated through illness or accident.
The Health Care Power of Attorney can also avoid the potential problems of the client not maintaining control over his or her health care decisions and the domestic partner not having access to his or her partner during a period of incapacitation.
A proper estate plan will ensure the client's assets are distributed to whom he or she wants, when and how he or she desires.
The Living Trust guarantees privacy, through avoidance of probate and its process of opening court records. This is especially true for clients and their domestic partners who wish their sexual orientation to remain confidential, for fear of a disruption in family relationships or harassment or discrimination in the workplace.
Proper estate planning assures that any surviving minor children are raised by the person designated in the plan.
Finally, although there are no spousal benefits for LGBT couples (compared to those of heterosexual married couples) proper estate planning will ensure correct strategies are used to avoid penalties, extra taxation when possible, and the court and attorney costs of probate.

LGBT Estate Planning & Related Topics

The Problems Estate Planning Solves For The LGBT Community
Find out why estate planning for LGBT couples is so important.

Register for a Free LGBT Estate Planning Seminar
Register online to attend one of our free seminars focusing on the estate planning issues facing the LGBT community.

Free Report
Order a complimentary copy of the Special Report "Gay and Lesbian Couples Face Special Challenges in Estate Planning," or click here to view all available Special Reports.

Free Private Seminars
Free private seminars are available upon request for small or large groups. Please call us at (916) 437-3500 or fill out our online request form and one of our legal assistants will call to schedule a convenient time for you.

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Resources
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