The Law office of Goldstein and Clegg offers simple estate planning services. One of our goals is to fully inform our clients regarding planning their estate. When our clients proactively choose the right estate planning options, they are setting in place plans that reflect successor issues and make a significant difference in their own and their families’ quality of life. As our clients become fully informed, they are more confident in their decisions.

When you spend your life thinking about work, or your children and family, it can be tough to properly plan for your wishes after death. And if you don't make the time to write a will, your family will be forced to deal with a messy and lengthier probate process. With the help of a estate planning attorney from Massachusetts, you can write and file a will that clearly defines your wishes.

Wills and trusts can both be used to transfer your property when you die. However, the parallel stops there. A will has no effect until you die, whereas a living trust becomes effective during your lifetime to administer your assets. While a will is part of the public record a trust is not, giving you greater privacy. You can use a living trust to choose the state for administering your estate. Trusts are usually simpler to modify than wills and less likely to be contested by your heirs. Living trusts do not require long and expensive probate proceedings. Your property and heirs will not be listed in public records in a courthouse, where they would be in a will. Your property can be transferred to your heirs almost immediately after your death.

We help families and individuals with:

• Last will and testament  
• Health Care Proxies
• Irrevocable trusts and revocable trusts
• Powers of attorney

If you are worried that your wishes are not going to be followed if you get into an accident, you may want to have a health care proxy drafted with your will. This is the Massachusetts version of a living will. The Massachusetts Legislature has authorized a Health Care Proxy, whereby you appoint someone to make your health care decisions for you should you ever be deemed incompetent to make these decisions yourself. Your proxy's decisions will have the same authority as yours would, if you were able, and will be honored over those of any other person, except for any limitation you yourself made, or except for a Court Order specifically overriding the Proxy.