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Practice Areas | Estate Planning

Martin, Bischoff has been helping people plan their estates for over 70 years. Our experience allows us to select precisely the tools needed to insure that our clients' estate planning goals are met. Because of our experience and knowledge, we can efficiently and effectively plan an estate of any size. Estate planning often involves a delicate balancing of the interests of family members. We can assist clients in achieving fairness among all those interested in an estate. We also know how to minimize the many taxes (income, estate, inheritance, and generation-skipping) to which estates are subject. Without proper planning, these taxes can consume the bulk of an inheritance. The techniques that we use provide cost-effective protection against such taxes. In addition to our estate planning services, our attorneys also have the special knowl-edge and skill required to represent a personal representative in the probate of an estate or a trustee in the administration of a living trust. There are often opportunities for estate and income tax savings during the administration of an estate, and we help our clients capitalize on these opportu-nities.

• * Avoiding probate through the use of living trusts.
• Gifting programs, including those involving life insur-ance trusts and family entities, such as family limited liability companies and family limited partner-ships.
• Charitable giving, including charitable remainder unitrusts.
• Planning for incompetence with the use of living trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives.
• Conservatorships and guardianships.
• Filing of claims in probate.
• Will contests.