Estate Planning Attorneys

Planning for the future is one of the most important gifts you can give your loved ones. At St. Johns Law Group, our experienced team of estate planning attorneys serve clients in North Florida, including St. Augustine, Palm Coast, and Ponte Vedra, helping them secure their legacies with thoughtful, customized planning.

Whether you are preparing a simple will or designing a complex trust-based plan, we work to minimize tax burdens, avoid probate, and ensure your wishes are carried out clearly and legally.

📑 Why Estate Planning Matters

Many people believe estate planning is only for the wealthy or elderly. In reality, everyone—regardless of age, health, or financial status—can benefit from having a solid plan in place.

A proper estate plan helps you:

• Control how your assets are distributed after death

• Reduce or eliminate estate and gift taxes

• Avoid the delays and costs of probate

• Appoint guardians for minor children

• Plan for incapacity or illness

• Ensure loved ones are cared for according to your wishes

We often collaborate with financial advisors, accountants, and tax professionals to create a strategy that fits your unique goals and circumstances.

🧾 Core Estate Planning Services

Our team routinely assists clients with:

📜 Wills

A Last Will and Testament directs how your assets will be distributed and allows you to name a personal representative (executor) and a guardian for your children. Without a will, Florida law dictates who receives your estate—and it may not align with your wishes.

🔐 Trusts

We draft and manage various types of trusts tailored to your needs:

• Revocable Living Trusts – Avoid probate and maintain control during your lifetime

• Irrevocable Trusts – Protect assets and minimize estate taxes

• Special Needs Trusts – Preserve benefits for disabled beneficiaries

• Charitable Trusts – Support philanthropic goals while reducing tax burdens

🖊️ Durable Power of Attorney

This document allows you to appoint someone to manage your finances and legal affairs if you become incapacitated. Without one, a court may need to appoint a guardian, which can be costly and time-consuming.

❤️ Health Care Surrogate Designation

You can name someone to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so. This is critical for avoiding confusion during a health crisis.

🩺 Living Will

Also known as an advance directive, this outlines your preferences for life-sustaining treatment if you become terminally ill or permanently unconscious.

🏥 Hospital Visitation Authorization

Ensure that loved ones (including non-family members) can visit you during hospitalization, especially important for non-traditional family structures.

👥 Declaration of Pre-Need Guardian

Allows you to pre-select someone to serve as your guardian should one ever be required. This prevents the court from appointing someone you would not have chosen.

📘 Representative Matters

Here’s a list of planning tools and services we commonly prepare:

• Wills

• Trusts (Revocable & Irrevocable)

• Durable Power of Attorney

• Health Care Surrogate

• Living Will

• Hospital Visitation Authorization

• Declaration of Pre-Need Guardian

• Estate Tax Planning

• Business Succession Planning

• Charitable Planning

🌴 Serving Northeast Florida with Compassion & Clarity

Our estate planning attorneys are committed to providing personalized, confidential service to each client. We listen carefully, explain your options in plain language, and guide you through every step of the process.

Whether you’re planning for your own future, that of a loved one, or helping to settle the estate of someone who has passed, we are here to help you feel secure and confident.

📞 Contact St. Johns Law Group

Ready to plan for peace of mind? Let us help you protect what matters most.