When it comes to estate planning, wills and trusts receive considerable attention, but another key estate planning tool that can prove extremely valuable to many individuals is advanced health care directives. In order to draft and implement these important legal instruments, the advice of a trusted Charlotte advanced health care directive attorney may prove indispensable in achieving the best outcome.
At Orsbon & Fenninger, LLP, of Charlotte, our team of highly skilled attorneys, including R. Anthony “Tony” Orsbon, Cynthia “Cyndy” T. Fenninger, and Perry A. Coumas, brings over half a century of combined estate planning and law experience to the table, underpinning our firm’s ability to cater to the unique needs of individuals and families in the face of a wide range of complex and sensitive financial, legal, and health care situations.
At Orsbon & Fenninger, LLP, we understand that comprehensive estate planning is about much more than simply deciding where your money goes when you pass from this world. With a smartly designed legal strategy, you can create and implement an estate plan that goes to work for you right away. That’s why we promote the use of forward-thinking tools like advanced health care directives and living trusts as key components of a comprehensive estate plan.
By combining traditional wills and trusts with these other tools, we can provide you with peace of mind, clarity for your family, seamless transitions for your business interests, potential tax benefits, and—in the case of advanced health care directives—a high level of control over your medical future, even if you should be too incapacitated to express your wishes for yourself.
Advance directives are legal documents that outline your preferences regarding various issues and decisions that will become legally binding in situations when you are unable to communicate your wishes for yourself. Advanced health care directives specifically deal with medical treatment and health care decisions.
One common example of an issue covered in advanced medical directives is whether to continue life-sustaining treatment for an individual who has been pronounced brain dead or is otherwise unlikely to recover. Having a well-drafted, legally sound advanced health care directive is essential for individuals who want to proactively manage their health care options and be prepared for any possibility.
When it comes to understanding all the nuances of advance directives, similar tools like powers of attorney, and how to leverage these details to your advantage under North Carolina law, the team of dedicated attorneys and highly knowledgeable support staff at Orsbon & Fenninger, LLP, can offer high-quality guidance and powerful advocacy that allows you to move through the estate planning process with confidence.
Creating and properly filing an advanced health care directive is a process that is highly personal and highly technical. Working with legal counsel who understands this is paramount to ensuring that your own advance health care directive and your overall estate plan work exactly the way you need them to.
While some low-end firms may offer basic will preparation services for a low flat fee, it takes a particular set of skills, education, and legal background to assemble wills, trusts, advance directives, and other tools in a complementary way to create an estate plan that is stronger than its individual parts. At Orsbon & Fenninger, LLP, we offer detail-oriented, highly personalized legal solutions to create comprehensive estate plans for our clients.
Some of the many important issues that can be addressed through an advanced health care directive include:
When it comes to health care, each individual’s preferences are unique and will be informed by their culture, lifestyle, beliefs, and previous medical history. Although these conversations can be difficult to initiate, it is often a good idea to discuss the above issues with loved ones and trusted health care providers prior to contacting Orsbon & Fenninger, LLP, to begin working on your estate plan.
An advanced health care directive is typically divided into two or three sections, as it is actually made up of distinct instruments that work together to provide comprehensive coverage:
Orsbon & Fenninger, LLP: Crafting Peace of Mind Through Personalized Estate Plans and Health Care Directives
At Orsbon & Fenninger, LLP, we know that health care directives, powers of attorney, wills, and the other elements of a truly comprehensive estate plan are deeply personal and, therefore, require a collaborative, client-driven approach. Our commitment goes beyond legal advice and document preparation, as we strive to create a full-featured estate plan that comprehends and respects your values, your concerns, your hopes for the future, and your family.
While our team is adept at crafting advanced health care directives through the drafting of legally binding living wills, health care instructions, and powers of attorney, please also be aware that our services extend to various other key areas in estate planning law and beyond. This includes robust estate planning and estate administration solutions for estates of all sizes and individuals of all ages, from the effective use of trusts to helping clients understand the intricacies of elder law and how it intersects with health care.
Whatever your estate planning needs, contact our Charlotte offices today to get started. We can help you effectively navigate the estate planning process, offering high-end legal solutions to accomplish your unique goals and ensure your estate plan adheres to your wishes and the law, no matter what the future may hold.