Estate Planning

Helping Clients Avoid Conflict, Litigation, and Tax Problems through Estate Planning

Estate planning is the process by which people develop a plan to ensure that the assets they have worked to accumulate during their lifetime are protected and distributed to those they love. The estate planning process also allows people to name guardians for their minor children and indicate their wishes for care should they become unable to speak for themselves because of illness or injury.

Do not let the IRS prevent you from giving your assets to your heirs

Without proper estate planning, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may get a large portion of your assets. Fortunately, it’s not too late to prevent this. We can help you implement a variety of tax strategies to keep your assets out of the hands of the government. Our firm handles a variety of estate planning matters, and advises our clients on how to gain the maximum benefit of all laws while at the same time carrying out the person’s wishes. We also counsel clients on how to avoid future estate litigation.

Examples of estate planning techniques

Our lawyers use a wide range of estate planning mechanisms, including:

• Conservatorships
• Guardianships
• Wills
• Trusts
• Tax planning
• Living wills, or advance health care directives
• Durable powers of attorney and medical powers of attorney

Avoiding litigation through advanced estate planning methods tailored to the needs of clients

Our attorneys use these and other advanced planning techniques to avoid estate litigation. We do this by taking the time needed to understand our client's needs and situations. We do not provide cookie-cutter legal services. Rather, we tailor our solutions to the circumstances of each client.

To learn more our comprehensive estate planning services, contact our Pasadena or Orange County office. At Russakow, Ryan & Johnson, our lawyers work hard to help you and your heirs keep as much of your estate as possible while avoiding conflict and litigation.