Northwest Arkansas Estate Planning, Probate, and Business Law
Our team of experienced professionals will guide you and provide personalized legal solutions tailored to your unique needs giving you the peace of mind and security you deserve.
Welcome to DeWitt Law
Hi. I’m Gary, the owner of DeWitt Law. DeWitt Law Firm offers professional, knowledgeable estate planning solutions for families to protect people, property, and privacy against unpredictable dangers and events. Unlike other law firms, we guide you through the process with our unique, easy to follow, step-by-step systems. For most of our work, we’ll give you the price up front. We strive to give you peace of mind.
You Can’t Afford to Hire the Wrong Attorney
- The wrong lawyer won’t keep you up to date and might not even return your calls, emails, and letters. (This is the #1 attorney complaint filed.)
- Many attorneys say they do estate planning, but it is a sideline. We concentrate on estate planning and probate which means you can rest easy knowing your attorney knows the ins and outs of planning and probate.
- Acting as your own attorney is dangerous and not recommended.
Does This Sound Familiar?
- Find the estate planning process overwhelming?
- Worried about your kids having to pay a lot of taxes to the government when you pass away?
- Concerned your kids will have to go through a long and expensive probate process when you pass away?
- Unsure if the will that you got several years ago will protect you and your family?
The good news is — it doesn’t have to be this way!
With proper estate planning, you can be sure that your assets are distributed as you want and protect yourself during your lifetime. I offer a free 15-minute call just to get to know each other and discover if … and how … I can help you. Book online now.
BOOK A 15-MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL WITH US TODAY!
Books and Reports
The Superior Way to Plan
Estate planning is the superior and the only effective way to protect what you have from the nursing home, avoid probate, and prepare for incapacity for your peace of mind and quality of life
Estate planning is about preparing for the management of your affairs and distribution of your assets during and after your lifetime. A great estate plan will minimize (or eliminate) taxes and other major expenses like probate and losing it all to a nursing home. A plan also prepares for any chance of incapacity in the future. Plans allow your family to act instead of react when time matters most.
Proper and Effective Estate Planning Will Answer These Questions
- How can I save my house from the expenses of nursing home care and ravages of probate?
- How can I make it easier on my family during already hard times by avoiding probate and other legal messes?
- Who will take care of and raise my children if I can’t?
- How do I assure who gets what, when, how, and how much and manage it wisely?
- Who will manage my assets and affairs when I’m incapacitated?
Who Needs an Estate Plan? Anybody Over 18 Years Old
Everybody over 18 years old needs an estate plan. It is a common myth that only the rich and elderly need an estate plan. That myth simply isn’t true. Anybody that cares about their future or disposition of their property needs a plan. Planning prepares you and your family for the unforeseeable events of life.
Estate Planning Techniques
The techniques and strategies used by an estate planner depend on the property, wishes, and goals of the person planning. Here are a just some of the most common techniques used by the DeWitt Law Firm to protect the future and guide you to success.
Last Will and Testament
A Will alone requires probate!
A Will does nothing for you during your lifetime. They don’t help a person manage their affairs if they become unable to because of illness, medical incidents, dementia, accidents, and more…
You can think of your Will as a list of instructions to the Probate Judge as to who gets what, when, how, and how much. It also names who you want to take care of minor children and may be the only place you can nominate guardians for them.
Durable Power of Attorney for Finances and Legal Matters
Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself for lifetime protection is create a Durable Power of Attorney. This is where your appoint somebody to manage your affairs when you can’t. This person can manage your finances, personal matters, and legal issues.
Power of Attorney for Healthcare
This names the people you want to make healthcare decisions when you can’t. This person does not have be the same as the person you name in your Durable Power of Attorney. It is crucial to have this document or the doctors can take over and make all the decisions.
Beneficiaries
You can name the people to get the accounts and avoid probate. There are a variety of names for this. You may hear it called “payable on death,” “transfer on death,” “title on death,” and “beneficiary designation.” It is preferred to do this instead of adding your children to the accounts. When you do that, their financial problems become your financial problems. The same goes for putting you children on the deeds now. You can use a “beneficiary deed” to pass the house to your children. And it avoids Medicaid issue and Probate.
Living Trust
A great way to avoid probate and provide for asset management. Unlike a Will, a Trust is private so you and your family protect their privacy. The time and expense in settling a trust is usually a small fraction of what Probate would take