A plan for passing on what you have built is a set of documents: wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and the structures that hold property together. I prepare estate plans for individuals and families across the Treasure Valley, from a straightforward will to trust planning for larger or more complicated estates.
A plan is drafted against the assets it has to carry: real property, business interests, retirement and financial accounts, and the tax treatment of each. Which instrument is appropriate depends on what a family owns and how it is titled, so I review the assets before recommending a structure.
I prepare every plan myself, at a flat fee stated in writing before the work begins.
When a family member dies, someone has to settle what is left. I guide personal representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries through uncontested Idaho probate and trust administration. That work includes opening the estate, gathering the assets, giving the required notices, handling creditor claims, preparing accountings, and making distributions in the order the law requires.
Most Idaho estates move through informal probate, which is a procedural sequence rather than a fight. I handle uncontested matters only. I do not take contested estates, will contests, or litigation between beneficiaries. If a dispute develops, I will tell you plainly so you can retain separate litigation counsel.
It depends on what you own, who inherits, and how much difficulty you want to spare them. Many Idaho families are well served by a will and powers of attorney. Others save their heirs real cost with a revocable trust. The free consultation exists to answer exactly this question, honestly.
Idaho's intestacy statutes decide who inherits, a court supervises more of the process, and the result is often slower, costlier, and different from what the family expected.
Often, yes, if the planning happens while you still have capacity. A durable financial power of attorney names someone you trust to handle your money and property if you cannot. A health care directive names someone to make medical decisions for you and records your wishes about treatment. Signed in time, these documents cover much of the ground a court appointed guardian or conservator would otherwise cover, and they let you choose the person instead of leaving that choice to a court. I prepare these documents as part of an estate plan. I do not handle guardianship or conservatorship court proceedings.
A straightforward informal probate commonly runs six months to a year, driven by the statutory creditor period and the makeup of the estate. Some deadlines start running at the date of death, so the first conversation should happen early.
No. Small estates can sometimes use Idaho's small estate procedures, and assets held in trust or passing by beneficiary designation avoid probate entirely. Whether probate is needed is often the first question to answer.
No Cost Initial Consultation
Call my office, book a time online, or send me a message through the contact page. Every fee is flat and stated in writing before any work begins.
208-279-7568Other practice areas: Elder Law and Medicaid Planning, Real Estate Transactions, Business Counsel and Transactions, Creditors' Rights and Commercial Collections
