Florida Estate Planning Attorney
Protect the People You Love. Plan for What Comes Next.
Shield Legal Group helps Florida individuals and families create thoughtful estate plans for the people, property, and decisions that matter most, from wills and trusts to incapacity planning and family protection.
Attorney-Led Planning · Flat-Fee Options · Wills, Trusts & Family Protection
Life Changes. Your Plan Should Too.
Your Life Changed. Has Your Estate Plan Kept Up?
Estate planning often becomes especially important when the people, property, or responsibilities in your life change.
You Got Married
Make sure your plan reflects your spouse, family, assets, decision-makers, and wishes.
You Had a Child
Address guardianship planning, how assets may be managed for children, and who can step in when necessary.
You Bought a Home
Consider how one of your family’s most important assets fits into the broader estate plan.
You’re Building Wealth
Coordinate growing assets, real estate, business interests, and beneficiary designations with the overall plan where appropriate.
You Already Have a Plan
Consider whether older documents still reflect your current family, assets, relationships, and intentions.
Planning for Parents
If You Have Young Children, Your Estate Plan Is About More Than Money.
For parents, estate planning can involve more than deciding who receives property. It can also address who should care for minor children, who should manage assets intended for them, and who can make important decisions if a parent cannot.
Who Would Care for Your Children?
Your estate plan can address your wishes regarding guardianship of minor children, subject to applicable law and court determination.
Who Would Manage Their Inheritance?
Planning can address how assets intended for children should be managed and distributed.
When Should They Receive It?
Trust-based planning may allow greater control over how and when assets are distributed rather than relying solely on an outright inheritance.
Who Can Act for You?
Powers of attorney and healthcare planning can identify trusted people to act in specified circumstances.
Will or Trust?
You Don’t Need to Know Which Documents You Need Before You Call Us.
A will and a revocable living trust are different planning tools. The appropriate approach depends on your family, assets, goals, property ownership, and other circumstances. Our job is to understand what you’re trying to accomplish and help determine the appropriate planning structure within the scope of our representation.
A Coordinated Will-Based Estate Plan
Starting at $1,495
For individuals and families whose planning objectives may appropriately be addressed through a coordinated will-based plan.
Depending on the engagement, the plan may include:
- Last Will & Testament
- Durable Power of Attorney
- Healthcare Surrogate Designation
- Living Will
- HIPAA Authorization
- Guardianship-related planning for minor children where applicable
- Attorney consultation
- Drafting and revisions within the agreed scope
- Execution guidance
A Coordinated Trust-Based Estate Plan
Starting at $3,495
For individuals and families whose goals may benefit from trust-based planning for asset management, continuity, children, real estate, privacy, or other planning objectives.
Depending on the engagement, the plan may include:
- Revocable Living Trust
- Pour-Over Will
- Durable Power of Attorney
- Healthcare Surrogate Designation
- Living Will
- HIPAA Authorization
- Certificate or abstract of trust where appropriate
- Funding guidance
- Florida deed coordination where appropriate and included
- Attorney consultation
- Drafting and revisions within the agreed scope
- Execution guidance
Not sure which plan is right for your family? That’s what the consultation is for.
Flat-fee pricing is provided before representation begins. Final fees depend on the agreed scope and complexity of the plan.
More Than Documents
A Stack of Documents Isn’t the Goal. A Coordinated Plan Is.
Estate-planning documents work together. Your will or trust, powers of attorney, healthcare documents, beneficiary designations, property ownership, and trust funding may each affect whether the overall plan operates as intended.
Family
Identify the people who matter and the roles trusted individuals may need to fill.
Assets
Understand the property, accounts, real estate, and business interests relevant to the plan.
Decision-Makers
Identify trusted people who may act in financial, healthcare, fiduciary, or other roles where appropriate.
Documents & Implementation
Build the agreed legal documents and identify implementation steps relevant to the plan.
Planning for the Life You’re Building
Estate Planning Isn’t Just for Retirement.
Marriage, children, homeownership, business ownership, and growing assets can all create reasons to think about estate planning long before retirement. A thoughtful plan can evolve with the life you’re building.
Your estate plan should reflect where your life is today, and be reviewed as that life changes.
Your Plan Should See the Whole Picture
Own a Business or Real Estate? Your Estate Plan Should Account for It.
Business interests and real estate can add important considerations to an estate plan. Ownership structure, succession objectives, beneficiary designations, deeds, and trust funding may need to be evaluated as part of the broader planning strategy.
Business Owners
Consider how ownership interests and succession objectives fit within the broader estate plan.
Real Estate Owners
Consider how Florida real estate is titled and whether ownership and estate-planning documents are appropriately coordinated.
Our Process
Your Estate Plan in Three Clear Steps.
Tell Us About Your Family
Discuss your family, assets, concerns, existing documents, and what you want the plan to accomplish.
Build the Plan
We evaluate your stated objectives, recommend an appropriate planning structure within scope, and prepare the agreed documents.
Sign & Put the Plan in Place
Complete execution and receive guidance regarding applicable implementation steps within the engagement.
Family & Goals → Planning Strategy → Documents & Execution
Why Planning Matters
Without a Plan, Florida Law May Make More of the Decisions.
Estate planning allows you to express your wishes and designate trusted people for important roles where legally permitted. Without appropriate planning, default rules and court processes may play a larger role in determining what happens to property or who has authority to act.
Property
State law may determine how probate assets pass when there is no valid will or other applicable planning arrangement.
Decision-Making
Appropriate incapacity documents can identify people authorized to act in specified circumstances.
Minor Children
Parents can use estate-planning documents to express guardianship preferences, although the court ultimately determines guardianship based on applicable law.
A Coordinated Plan
Estate Planning Can Address More Than Who Gets What.
Asset Distribution
How property passes to the people you intend.
Minor Children
Guardianship preferences and asset management for children.
Financial Decision-Making
Powers of attorney for financial matters.
Healthcare Decision-Making
Healthcare surrogate and living will documents.
Trust Administration
How a trust operates after it is created.
Real Estate
How Florida property is titled and coordinated.
Business Interests
How ownership interests fit within the plan.
Beneficiary Coordination
Aligning designations with the overall plan.
Already Have an Estate Plan?
Your Documents Should Still Reflect Your Life.
Marriage, divorce, births, deaths, property changes, business ownership, relocation, and changes in relationships or priorities may create reasons to review an existing estate plan.
The Shield Legal Difference
Estate Planning Should Start With Your Family, Not a Form.
Attorney-Led Planning
Work with legal counsel to build the agreed plan around your circumstances and objectives.
Family-Focused Approach
Planning starts with the people, responsibilities, and assets that matter to you.
Coordinated Documents
The objective is a cohesive estate plan rather than treating each document as an isolated product.
Clear, Upfront Scope
Understand the agreed legal services and pricing before representation begins.
Why Families Trust Shield Legal Group
Florida Attorney
Attorney-Led Planning
Direct Attorney Access
Business & Real Estate Transaction Focus
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your family, assets, goals, property ownership, and circumstances. A will and a revocable living trust are different planning tools, and the appropriate approach depends on your particular situation. Our job is to understand what you’re trying to accomplish and help determine the appropriate planning structure within the scope of our representation.
Family Will Plans start at $1,495 and Family Trust Plans start at $3,495. Final flat-fee pricing depends on the agreed scope and complexity of the plan and is provided before representation begins.
A coordinated will-based plan may include a last will and testament, durable power of attorney, healthcare surrogate designation, living will, HIPAA authorization, guardianship-related planning for minor children where applicable, attorney consultation, drafting and revisions within the agreed scope, and execution guidance. Not every component is included in every engagement unless agreed.
A coordinated trust-based plan may include a revocable living trust, pour-over will, durable power of attorney, healthcare surrogate designation, living will, HIPAA authorization, certificate or abstract of trust where appropriate, funding guidance, Florida deed coordination where appropriate and included, attorney consultation, drafting and revisions within the agreed scope, and execution guidance. Not every component is included in every engagement unless agreed.
Yes, each spouse generally needs their own will. Even when spouses have similar wishes, each person should have their own estate-planning documents reflecting their individual decisions, assets, and beneficiaries. The appropriate structure depends on your particular circumstances.
Parents of minor children may want to address guardianship preferences, how assets intended for children should be managed and distributed, and who can make decisions if a parent cannot. Trust-based planning may allow greater control over how and when assets are distributed. The appropriate planning depends on your particular circumstances.
Parents can use estate-planning documents to express guardianship preferences or nominations. However, guardianship is ultimately determined by the court based on applicable Florida law and the best interests of the child. Estate planning allows you to express your wishes, but does not guarantee a particular guardianship outcome.
A revocable living trust is a legal arrangement in which you transfer ownership of certain assets to a trust during your lifetime, while retaining the ability to modify or revoke it. You may serve as your own trustee and name successor trustees to manage the trust if you become unable to do so or after your death. The appropriateness of a trust depends on your particular circumstances.
Properly funded trusts can allow certain assets to pass outside of the probate process. However, whether probate can be avoided depends on how your assets are titled, the nature of the assets, and whether the trust has been properly funded. A trust does not automatically avoid probate for all assets. The specific outcome depends on your particular circumstances.
A durable power of attorney is a legal document that authorizes a trusted person to make financial decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so. Without one, your family may need to seek court involvement to manage your affairs. The scope and appropriateness of a power of attorney depend on your particular circumstances.
A healthcare surrogate designation allows you to name a trusted person to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you become unable to make them yourself. It is often paired with a living will, which expresses your wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment. The appropriateness of these documents depends on your particular circumstances.
Yes. Florida real estate can be addressed in your estate plan through how it is titled, through a trust, or through other planning tools. How your real estate should be coordinated with your estate plan depends on the property, your ownership structure, and your particular circumstances.
Business interests can add important considerations to an estate plan, including ownership structure and succession objectives. Shield Legal Group can coordinate estate planning with the firm’s business transaction services when appropriate. The scope of business-related planning depends on your particular circumstances and the agreed engagement.
Yes. If you already have an estate plan, Shield Legal Group can review your existing documents, assess whether they still reflect your current wishes and circumstances, and recommend updates if appropriate. The scope of any review depends on the particular documents and your current situation.
An estate plan should generally be reviewed after major life events such as marriage, divorce, births, deaths, property changes, business ownership, relocation, or changes in relationships or priorities. Even without a major life event, reviewing your plan periodically can help ensure it still reflects your wishes. The frequency depends on your particular circumstances.
Plan for the People Who Matter Most
Your Family Should Have More Than Good Intentions. Give Them a Plan.
Whether you’re getting married, raising children, buying a home, building a business, accumulating assets, or simply ready to put your wishes in writing, Shield Legal Group can help you evaluate the estate-planning options appropriate for your circumstances.
Attorney-Led · Family-Focused · Florida Estate Planning
Tell Us About Your Family
Share a few details about your family and what you’d like your plan to accomplish. You don’t need to know which documents you need. That’s what we help determine.