Legal Services
FIND OUT WHY WE ARE THE FIRM FOR YOU
What is Estate Planning?
As part of our comprehensive legal services, we help individuals and families understand the various elements of estate planning, including:
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Asset Inventory (homes, vehicles, funds, retirement accounts, collectibles)
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Family Needs (developing a Will, Living Trust and other planning tools, naming a guardian for children)
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Directives (Power of Attorney, Medical Care Directives)
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Beneficiaries (primary and contingent)
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Maryland estate tax laws (minimizing state and inheritance taxes)
Estate planning allows an individual to designate who inherits their assets and who will help with responsibilities when a person passes away or is incapacitated. The Law Offices of Jane Sopher helps families proactively navigate these issues to create a plan that works for each person’s unique circumstances. Whether you are married with young children, part of a blended family, a senior couple with grandchildren, or a single individual, we can help. Just a few hours of planning can help to eliminate significant challenges for your loved ones.
What is Probate?
Probate is the legal process through which your estate is administered after you die. During probate, your assets will be transferred to your beneficiaries and your debts and taxes, if any, will be paid.
The probate process can be complex and overwhelming. Rest assured that our legal team can help you navigate through this process. When you choose us for legal services, we will represent you in all proceedings. We will also draft and file all of the documents needed to open and settle the estate, including:
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Drafting all documents to open the estate
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Obtaining death certificates
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Gathering assets & preparing an inventory
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Asset appraisals
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Managing the payment of ongoing bills and debts
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Transferring/selling real estate
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Preparing accounts
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Tax returns
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Closing the estate
You may not know this, but Medicaid pays for over half of the country’s nursing home expenses. Sadly, only seniors who earn a low income and have exhausted all of their financial resources qualify for nursing home assistance through Medicaid. Many senior citizens have to run through all of their savings to stay in a residential facility before they can get any sort of financial assistance. However, the Law Offices of Jane Sopher can help you or your loved one with Medicaid planning to ensure nursing home and independent living costs are fully covered.
We understand that Medicaid Planning can be a complicated process, and current laws certainly don’t make it easy for individuals to qualify. The Law Offices of Jane Sopher partner with senior citizens and their families to help them understand their options when it comes to preserving assets, including:
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Navigating Maryland long-term care eligibility laws
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Retitling and transferring assets
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Purchasing annuities
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Analyzing spousal protection laws