Types of Wills & Trusts in Virginia

Brought to You By The Law Firm of Northern Virginia Trusts and Estates

If you are looking for a Wills and Trust lawyer in Virginia, Northern Virginia Trusts and Estates can help. No matter which type of a will or trust may be right for you and your family, our legal team can help you find the solution that meets your needs and desires and your family. No matter the size of your potential estate or your particular set of assets, planning your will and trust with an experienced and trustworthy firm is a necessity.

Our estate planning services include, but are not limited to:

Simple wills

Simple wills are one of the most popular estate planning instruments because they are easy to understand and execute. And while it is possible to write your own simple will, you should consult an experienced and qualified estate lawyer to make sure your wishes are carried out after death.

A few things you should know about simple wills include:

If you are over 18 years old and mentally competent, you can have a will in Virginia.
A will makes sure that your property is distributed as you wish after death.
You can also appoint an executor and nominate a guardian for minor children.
A will controls “probate estates”
If you do NOT have a will, The Commonwealth of Virginia will decide how to distribute your assets

Guardian and Trusts

A Guardianship and Trust Will is used when parents have minor children under the age of 18 and allows you to specify how your assets will pass to your children and allows you to name an Executor. It also allows you to name potential guardians for your minor age children in the event the death of both parents.

Great reasons to utilize Guardianship & Trust Wills include:

Naming a guardian in your will puts that choice in your hands, not a judge`s.
Adding a trust to your estate planning will provide flexibility to your long term estate distribution.
There are different types of trusts and some are included in a will.

You definitely need to consult an attorney when planning a trust and to insure your wishes are carried out within a guardianship.

Pourover wills

In a pourover will, the writer of the will creates a trust and decrees that the property in his or her estate will be distributed to the Trustee of the trust at the time of death. Pourover wills are often used to catch any assets that were not allocated to a revocable trust.

Living Wills

Living wills provide for individuals to decide to die naturally when suffering from a terminal condition. Living wills prevent procedures that prolong the dying process and allow only the administration of drugs to provide comfort care.

They differ from a Medical Power of Attorney in that you are not assigning someone else to make your health care and medical decisions.

Medical privacy restrictions may be lifted in a General Power of Attorney.

An Advanced Medical Directive allows you to make decisions in advance on what type of medical care you wish in the event that are no longer able to make those decisions.

Experienced, Virginia based will writing attorney

Most of the time, you will need help in creating wills, trust, and legal end of life health care instructions. You should not chance mistakes by trying to create valid legal instruments on your own. Contacting an experienced Virginia Wills and Estates law firm will help you understand all of your options so you can make informed and valid decisions.