Mooresville Wills Lawyer

Mooresville Wills Lawyer Attorney

The law firm of Lassiter & Lassiter is your trusted partner for comprehensive estate administration and estate planning services in Mooresville, North Carolina, and all surrounding areas. Our team of highly trained estate planning attorneys is dedicated to helping individuals and families navigate the complex legal landscape that oversees things like wills, trusts, and probate court cases in the state of North Carolina.

Planning for a future beyond your own lifetime is important, but it can also be a stressful and difficult process. That’s why the Lassiter & Lassiter approach to estate planning is designed to reduce as much of that anxiety and discomfort as we possibly can. We work collaboratively with you to ensure we understand your exact goals and needs, and from there, we can handle the detail-oriented work of building and implementing your end-to-end estate plan so that you can spend more time and energy on the things you love.

You can rest assured that our experienced probate attorneys and estate administration team are handling your case with the utmost care and attention. Our commitment to providing personalized attention and custom-tailored solutions for every client, no matter what their situation, ensures that your unique needs and goals can be met, whether that can be accomplished with a straightforward last will and testament or requires a more robust estate plan, including living trusts and other legal and financial instruments.

Why Estate Planning Matters

Estate planning can involve many different tools and tactics. It also represents a complex and niche subfield of legal practice. At its core, however, the general idea behind estate planning is easy to understand. It is essentially the process of putting legal tools like wills and trusts in place during your lifetime so that you have maximum control over what happens to your assets and property after your death.

A well-crafted estate plan can achieve several positive things for you and your loved ones:

• An estate plan helps secure your assets for the remainder of your lifetime and offers you and your heirs peace of mind.
• A comprehensive and effective estate plan can transfer your assets to your heirs much faster and more smoothly than allowing your estate to go through the probate process.
• You can restructure and minimize tax burdens on your estate, both now and at the time of distribution to your beneficiaries.
• Trusts can be used to put very specific conditions on inheritances.
• Establishing your wishes in an estate plan circumvents the need for your loved ones to make stressful, emotionally charged decisions about your estate when they are already struggling with their loss.
• Not every aspect of an estate plan necessarily goes into effect after your death; certain types of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advanced directives can be enacted during your lifetime, such as to preemptively address important healthcare decisions if you become incapacitated.
• In many cases, an estate plan can also be used to address critical issues not directly related to your assets, such as naming guardians for minor children.

At Lassiter & Lassiter, we understand the significance of these matters and the peace of mind that can come from having these issues addressed ahead of time. We are here to guide you and your loved ones through the process with our winning combination of experience and empathy.

Understanding Wills

Some people mistakenly think that “estate planning” is synonymous with drafting a last will and testament. While a last will and testament is a crucial piece of almost any good estate plan, it is often only one aspect of a comprehensive estate plan.

However, wills can do a few other things besides simply distribute your assets to your heirs. This is why a will can sometimes serve as a standalone estate plan, albeit only for the smallest and simplest estates. In addition to naming your heirs, a will can also be used to appoint:

• A guardian for your minor children
• An executor to administer your estate (i.e., oversee the payment of any remaining debts and transfer the remaining assets to your named heirs)

It is often suggested that drafting your own legally binding will is as simple as writing down your wishes and signing at the bottom of the page. This is not sound advice and can lead to disaster for your grieving loved ones. A will is a serious and important legal document and should be treated as such.

Like any other legal document, it must include extremely specific and highly formalized language to be deemed valid in court. A sloppy or improperly filed will can take control of your assets away from your family and subject your estate to the excruciatingly long probate court process. Our skilled estate planning lawyers can assist you in crafting a clear and legally sound will that reflects your wishes and ensures the smooth transfer of your assets to your chosen beneficiaries.

FAQs About Mooresville, NC Wills Law

Do I Need a Lawyer for a Will in North Carolina?

While it is not legally required to hire a lawyer when you create your last will and testament in North Carolina, it is highly recommended. An experienced estate planning lawyer can provide invaluable guidance, ensuring that your will is properly drafted and legally binding. They can also help you navigate complex issues, such as:

• Minimizing tax liabilities
• Naming a qualified executor
• Exploring the use of trusts or other instruments
• Ensuring your wishes are clearly expressed in a legally actionable way

How Much Does It Cost to Make a Will in North Carolina?

The cost of creating a will in North Carolina, or any other state, can vary quite a lot depending on a long list of factors, such as the complexity of your estate, the specific services provided by the attorney, and your geographical location, just to name a few. Some attorneys offer a flat rate of a few hundred dollars for drafting a simple will, but developing a truly comprehensive estate plan for more complex, high-value estates can end up costing a few thousand dollars. However, it is important to remember that in either case, the costs of failing to have a thoughtful estate plan in place can far outweigh this investment in legal help.

Do North Carolina Wills Need to Be Notarized?

Yes, wills in North Carolina should be notarized to be considered valid. The notarization process involves signing your will in the presence of a licensed notary public, who will then acknowledge your signature by stamping your will with a special seal. This requirement helps to ensure the authenticity of the document and serves as an additional layer of protection against potential disputes about a will’s validity.

What Are the Requirements for a Will to Be Valid in North Carolina?

For a will to be valid in North Carolina, it must be “self-proving,” a term that itself holds a variety of criteria:

• The testator (the person creating the will) needs to be at least 18 years old.
• The testator must also be of sound mind, which can be difficult to either establish or disprove in a court of law due to the need for expert witnesses and subjective determinations by court officials.
• The will must be in writing (a video will, for example, would not be valid).
• The will needs to be signed by the testator or, if they are unable to sign for themselves, by an authorized agent in their presence and at their direction.
• The signing of the will should also be witnessed by at least two competent witnesses who are not beneficiaries of the will.
• Notarization is also required for the will to be considered valid.

If any of these conditions are not met, a judge may not consider the will to meet the definition of “self-proving,” which could send your assets to probate court instead of to your heirs.Lassiter & Lassiter: Your North Carolina Will Professionals

As you begin your research into wills and estate planning, please remember that it is essential to consult with a qualified estate planning attorney to ensure compliance with specific laws and regulations in North Carolina. Lassiter & Lassiter is a full-service estate planning law firm that can address your individual circumstances with a robust and effective estate plan, no matter how complex your situation is. Our knowledgeable attorneys are ready to assist you in creating a legally sound will and any other estate planning documents you may need. Contact us today for help with planning your estate.