149 Freestate Boulevard

Shreveport, Louisiana 71107

Office: 318.670.8793

Direct: 318.670.8793

Fax: 888.723.3513

Thank you so much for contacting my law office for your estate planning needs. Please take your time and fill out this form to help me help you.

A will takes effect at death and allows you to do the following:

Select an executor who will administer your estate and make sure the terms of your will are carried through.
Nominate tutors for minor children
Choose the people (legatees) who will receive assets of your estate
Establish one or more trusts and select a trustee to manage and protect inheritances
Provide for special needs of legatees
Integrate asset protection to protect legacies from unforeseen issues, such as lawsuits, liens, incapacity and divorce.

A will is typically accompanied by two additional documents: (1) a Power of Attorney; and (2) a Health Care Directive and/or Proxy. A properly drafted, durable Power of Attorney allows you to appoint another person of your choosing to make financial and health care decisions and to manage your affairs in the event you become incapacitated. If you become incapacitated before executing a valid power of attorney, a court proceeding referred to as an Interdiction will be required to declare you legally incompetent, at which time the court will designate a curator to manage your affairs, who could be anyone. Interdiction contests are often very contentious and expensive.

A Health Care Directive, sometimes referred to as a Living Will and/or Proxy, concerns end of life decisions and basically instructs the health care provider as to whether you wish (or do not wish) to have your life prolonged by life-sustaining treatments in the event your condition becomes terminable and irreversible (as determined by treating physicians). Absent a directive, difficult end-of-life decisions become quite contentious and sometimes litigious.

Estate planning is a process, and the circumstances of every individual are unique. There is no such thing as a magic elixir or cookie-cutter estate plan, especially one that properly integrates asset protection planning features. Once a plan is established, the completed plan should be reviewed and updated as circumstances change.

Please read the privacy policy below, and then fill out this form in its entirety prior to our consultation.

Privacy Policy

All information received from a client is strictly confidential. Our firm takes every step possible to protect your privacy. The data submitted via this form is encrypted and secured using industry-standard 128-bit SSL encryption.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our law office. We look forward to working with you!

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Upon submission, a copy of this form will be sent to the primary email.

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PERSONAL AND FAMILY INFORMATION

State the names requested below exactly as you want them to appear in your will and other estate planning documents.

What is your full name?

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

City and State

What is your spouse's name?

Spouse's Date of Birth:

Spouse's Place of Birth:

City and State

What is your marital status and history?

Please set out your marital history here. We need the date and place of each marriage. If a marriage ended in divorce, please provide the date of the judgment of divorce and the place the judgment was rendered. If a marriage ended with the death of your spouse, please provide the date and place of death.

Are you currently employed?

Yes

EXISTING DOCUMENTS

Do you or your spouse currently have any existing wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advanced directives, or other estate planning documents?

Yes

Are you a party to any pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreements?

Yes

Are you or your spouse the beneficiary in any wills or trusts created by anyone else?

Yes

Do you or your spouse have any business interests?

Yes

CHILDREN

In considering your estate planning, you should give thought to how those your leave behind will be cared for, in particular, your children. You can designate other individuals to look after your children in the event their other parent is unavailable. If you are concerned about anyone's ability to handle finances, you can place property in trust to limit their access and provide for a steady income stream.

Please list each child's full name, sex, date of birth and other parent:

Please be sure to include birthdates. Louisiana provides for forced heirship for children under 23 years of age. When the will is probated, it will be necessary to show the age of your children, so including the information here, assists the process later.

Are any of the children listed above adopted?

Yes

Do any of the children listed above have physical or developmental disabilities?

Yes

Do any of the children listed above have difficulty managing finances, marital issues, or other problems that may affect their inheritance rights?

Yes

ESTATE PLANNING GOALS

If your home was purchased during the marriage with your current spouse, do you want your confirm that your spouse will able to live in the house even upon remarriage?

In Louisiana, property acquired during the marriage is community property. Upon your death, your spouse will own 1/2 of the property as their separate property and unless provided otherwise, your children will own the other half subject to the "usufruct" of the surviving spouse. A usufruct gives your spouse the right to the "use" and "fruits" of the property. For example, if you acquired rent property during the marriage, your surviving spouse would own 1/2 of the property, but entitled to receive all of the rent even though your children might own the other half. A usufruct terminates upon the death or remarriage of the surviving spouse. However, you can confirm the usufruct of the surviving spouse for life in this testament so that it would survive remarriage. If you do not confirm the usufruct or want to modify it, for example, give your spouse the right to occupy your home, but not have the right to all of the rent income after marriage, then we can provide for that in the Will. These issues will be discussed prior to finalizing the Will.

Please describe the primary goals that you wish to accomplish by creating this estate plan:

Have you or your spouse made gifts, or do you plan to make gifts, in excess of $10,000 to any individual?

Yes

Do either you or your spouse expect to receive a significant inheritance?

Yes

Have you or your spouse served in the military?

Yes

Do you have any pets?

Yes

EXECUTOR OF YOUR ESTATE

Your executor must be:

at least 18 years old, and
of sound mind -- that is, not judged incapacitated by a court.

In Louisiana, your executor cannot be a convicted felon under any federal or state law.

While you can name a corporation as your executor, it must be authorized to perform the duties required of the office in Louisiana. (See La. Code Civ. Proc. Art. 3097.) That said, think carefully before appointing a corporation to represent your estate. It’s almost always best to name an individual; consider an institution only if you don’t know anyone you trust enough to serve or your estate is very large and complex.

For practical reasons, it’s smart to name an executor who lives near you. Your executor may have to handle day-to-day matters for weeks, months, or sometimes longer. If you must appoint an executor who lives far away, you should know the requirements Louisiana imposes on out-of-state executors.

In Louisiana, a nonresident executor must appoint someone who lives in the state to act as a resident agent. Your executor’s in-state agent will accept legal papers on behalf of your estate. (La. Code Civ. Proc. Art. 3097.)

Are you or your spouse currently making child support or alimony payments from a previous marriage?

Yes

Who would you like to be your Executor? If they are unable to serve as executor, is there a second choice?

Powers of Attorney, Living Wills and Medical Proxies

The following questions are to address who can act in your place if you are unable, who can make medical decisions for you if you are unable and what those decisions would be if you cannot make them yourself.

Do you have a power of attorney?

A Power of Attorney allows you to designate one or more persons to act for you. It can be revoked at any time and is revoked automatically at your death, interdiction or appointment of a curator. It does not affect your ability to act for yourself.

Yes

Do you have a Living Will?

A Louisiana living will is a legal document that outlines your wishes related to medical care if you are no longer able to make your own decisions. A Louisiana living will is also used to name a person to authorize decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so in the future.

Yes

Do you have a Health Care Proxy?

A Health Care Proxy is similar to a power of attorney, but is limited to health care decisions. For example, you might have certain persons you trust to handle your financial affairs in the event of your incapacity, but others who you trust to make health care decisions.

Yes