Practice Areas
Probate & Wills
Deciding what will happen to your home, your financial assets, and your personal possessions after your passing can be a difficult process. However, if you don't take the time to make these decisions now, a court may end up dividing your property for you.
Instead of leaving such important decisions to the courts, get the assistance you need to make wise decisions concerning your estate by speaking with a lawyer from the Augusto Law Group.
At our law firm, our team is dedicated to helping you through every step of your estate planning. We’re prepared to assist you with such legal services as:
- Drafting a will,
- Creating business, education, retirement, and
- Drawing up health care and general powers of attorney.
The decisions you make regarding your estate determine how your property will be divided and what estate taxes will need to be paid after your passing. Be sure that your wishes are carried out by consulting with an attorney at the Augusto Law Group.
Guardianship
When a loved one becomes incapacitated through illness or through mental health issues, or when a child receives an inheritance or settlement in excess of $15,000.00, a guardianship must be opened. In Florida, an attorney must represent the guardian seeking the guardianship. This process requires a determination of incapacity through an evaluation and the appointment of a guardian.
The Augusto Law Group can assist you with the following:
- Determination of incapacity
- Establishment of a guardianship
- Annual management of the guardianship
- Filing of all required reports
We are committed to the best interests of our clients - and you can count on us to represent you or your loved ones with a mix of compassion and relentless advocacy.
If you have questions about guardianship, please don't hesitate to ask. And if you would like to schedule a consultation, give us a call today at (305) 776-6075. We look forward to serving you!
Estate Planning
Estate planning is one of the most important tools you can use in structuring the transfer of assets during your lifetime and after your death. Our office can assist you in creating a comprehensive plan to address all of your estate planning needs. Any estate plan begins with a last will and testament, a trust (whether revocable or irrevocable), advance directives regarding your health care and a power of attorney.
In addition, our office can create more complex estate planning tools such as a life insurance trust, a special needs trust, or a trust for the benefit of multiple generations of descendants. We can also assist in the creation, management and oversight of all trust administration activities in order to ensure that all Florida Trust Code laws are complied with on a timely basis.
Legal Planning for Domestic Partners
Although great strides have been made in the last few months to grant gay and lesbian couples greater privileges in the eyes of the law, it is now more critical than ever to have a tailored estate plan. Likewise, although domestic partners receive recognition in some areas, it is imperative that those choosing to become domestic partners partake in critical estate planning so as to protect their rights in the event of incapacity or death. Living wills, powers of attorney, preneed and healthcare surrogate designations are imperative legal documents that every domestic partner and/or gay/lesbian couple must execute in order to have a well crafted estate plan.
Parents are often shocked when their young adults require medical care, yet the parents cannot gain access to such information because the "child" is eighteen years of age or older. HIPAA laws restrict parents' access to such medical information. Our office can help you draft powers of attorney, HIPAA designation forms, and other advance directives (such as a living will or preneed guardianship designation) for young adults so that their medical and financial well being is protected in the event of a crisis. These documents can also be amended in the event the young adult marries or enters into subsequent domestic partnership agreements.
Mental Health Proceedings
Our office can assist you in navigating the complex mental health proceedings to determine the capacity of a loved one. Florida Law offers family members a mechanism by which they can protect the well being of a loved one who is a danger to themselves or to others. Our office can help you during this difficult time from the determination of capacity, evaluation by mental health professionals, restoration hearings, or the administration of a guardianship.