Best estate planning law firm in florida
Revocable Living Trusts
We use revocable living trusts as the cornerstone of your estate plan. Titled property transfers directly to beneficiaries without probate, preserving privacy and avoiding court delays. You retain full control during your lifetime and can amend or revoke the trust as circumstances change. Successor trustees are named to manage trust assets seamlessly if you become incapacitated.
Health Care Surrogate Designation
We prepare health care surrogate designations, durable powers of attorney for health care, to authorize a trusted individual to make medical decisions if you cannot. This document outlines the surrogate’s authority and your treatment preferences, preventing delays or disputes during emergencies.
Living Will
A living will (advance directive) records your wishes regarding life-sustaining treatments such as resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, or feeding tubes. By clearly stating your end-of-life preferences, a living will guides both your appointed surrogate and healthcare providers, ensuring that treatment aligns with your values.
Last Will and Testament
The last will and testament remains essential for any estate plan. It:
Directs disposition of assets not held in trust
Names a personal representative to manage probate
Appoints guardians for minor children
Serves as a “pour-over will” to transfer residual assets into your revocable trust
By integrating these four components, Lomba, P.A. delivers a robust, flexible estate plan that evolves with your life changes. For those who seek a more involved plan with a basic level of asset protection, we recommend the following two:
Irrevocable Trusts
For enhanced asset protection and estate-tax reduction, we draft irrevocable trusts. Once funded, these trusts remove assets from your taxable estate and shelter them from certain creditor claims. Our services include:
Dynasty trusts to preserve wealth across generations
Special-needs trusts to protect government benefits for loved ones
Charitable remainder and lead trusts to achieve philanthropic objectives while optimizing tax advantages
2. Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)
An ILIT holds life insurance policies outside your taxable estate. Premiums paid into the trust acquire the policy, and proceeds bypass probate upon your death. This ensures liquidity for estate-tax obligations, structured distributions to heirs, and protection of policy proceeds from estate inclusion.
Lady Bird Deeds
A Lady Bird Deed, also known as an enhanced life estate deed, lets you transfer real property at death while retaining full control during your lifetime. At Lomba, P.A., we draft and record Lady Bird Deeds to complement your trust and will, offering probate avoidance, Medicaid planning benefits, and continued property rights.
Retained control. You remain free to sell, mortgage, or change the remainder beneficiaries without consent or re-execution of the deed.
Probate avoidance. Because the property interest passes automatically at death, it bypasses Florida’s probate process and any associated delays or costs.
Homestead and Medicaid planning. The enhanced life estate preserves your homestead exemption and helps shelter equity from Medicaid spend-down without disqualifying you from benefits.
Seamless integration. We coordinate your Lady Bird Deed with your overall estate plan, updating your revocable trust, pour-over will, and tax-planning documents to ensure consistent beneficiary designations and clear title succession.
Asset Protection
In addition to trusts, wills, and other estate planning tools, safeguarding your wealth from future risks is a critical part of preserving your legacy. Our asset protection practice complements your estate plan by designing tailored strategies that shield your personal and business assets from creditor claims, litigation exposure, and unforeseen liabilities. Whether you’re looking to fortify your trust structures or explore advanced protective mechanisms, our team can help you build a plan that aligns with your long-term goals. To explore how our asset protection services can enhance and secure your estate plan, visit our Asset Protection Services page and learn more about the options available to you.
Probate services
When a loved one passes, the probate process can quickly become overwhelming, particularly when disputes, complex assets, or unclear estate documents are involved. Our probate services are designed to guide executors, administrators, and beneficiaries through each stage of the process with clarity and precision. We assist with court filings, asset administration, creditor issues, and resolution of contested matters, helping ensure estates are settled efficiently and in accordance with Florida law. Our goal is to reduce uncertainty, protect the estate’s value, and provide steady legal guidance during a difficult time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Estate planning is not only about wealth. It is about control and reducing stress for your family. A plan can name decision-makers, avoid unnecessary court involvement, and prevent confusion about who inherits what.
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If you die without a will, Florida’s intestacy laws determine who receives your assets. That can create outcomes you did not intend, delays, and increased potential for conflict among family members.
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A will directs how assets are distributed at death and typically requires probate. A trust can allow assets to pass privately and often with less court involvement, while also providing structure for how and when beneficiaries receive assets.
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You should review your plan after major life events such as marriage, divorce, a new child, a move to Florida, a significant change in assets, or the death of a beneficiary or decision-maker. Even without major changes, periodic reviews help keep documents aligned with current law and your intent.
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Many estate plans include a will and/or trust, durable power of attorney, health care surrogate designation, and living will or advance directive. These documents address both end-of-life planning and incapacity planning.
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A power of attorney authorizes someone you trust to handle financial and legal matters if you cannot. Without it, your family may need court involvement to manage banking, bills, property, or other urgent responsibilities.
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We start with a consultation to understand your family situation, assets, goals, and risk concerns. From there, we recommend a plan, draft the documents, and guide you through signing and next steps so your plan is ready to work when it is needed.