Estate Planning and Estate, Trust, and Guardianship Litigation

Serving in Vancouver, WA

Marsh, Higgins, Beaty & Hatch, P.C. has been assisting clients throughout southwest Washington and Oregon in estate planning, probate, and trust matters for over 25 years.  Our attorneys in Vancouver exercise the highest levels of diligence, experience, and skill to develop the most suitable means of meeting our clients' priorities and concerns. 

Our estate planning practice covers a broad range of services that includes the following:

• Wills:  To ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes and to minimize probate costs, it is important that you seek qualified legal counsel to draft a will and have it properly executed.
• Probate of Estates:  Probate is a process whereby the probate court oversees the administration of the decedent's estate, whether he or she died with a will or intestate (without a will).  
• Trusts & Trust Administration:  Forming a revocable living trust allows individuals to avoid having their assets go through probate.  An estate planning attorney can explain to you the advantages and disadvantages of this option and assist you with creating the trust and transferring assets into the trust.
• Special Needs Trusts:  Special needs trusts are created to ensure that a disabled beneficiary is able to use the funds held in the trust without jeopardizing their ability to receive government benefits.
• Community Property Agreements:  Community property agreements for married persons act as an alternative to having assets go through probate upon the death of the first spouse. These agreements have certain advantages and limitations that a qualified attorney can explain in detail. 
• Irrevocable Trusts: If your estate is in excess of the amount which is not subject to estate taxation, you may want to have an irrevocable trust to protect the interests of your beneficiaries and reduce estate taxes.
• Powers of Attorney:  Powers of attorney allow individuals to appoint another person to act on their behalf in the event of incapacity.  Powers of attorney can be useful when the principal, the person making the appointment, becomes unable to manage his or her own affairs.
• Health Care Directives:  Health care directives are written documents in which individuals specify their health care preferences should they become unable to make such decisions and designate a person to carry out those preferences. 
• Prenuptial Agreements: In the event of a second marriage subsequent to a divorce, prenuptial agreements will help you preserve the assets acquired before marriage.
• Guardianships:  A guardianship is a legal proceeding where a judge must find that a person is unable to manage their own affairs and that a guardian should be appointed to manage the care and custody and/or financial affairs of the incapacitated person. 
• Estate, Trust, and Guardianship Litigation: Disputes can arise for a multitude of reasons. The Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act (TEDRA) was created to simplify the provisions for the resolution of disputes and other matters involving trusts, estates, and guardianships.

Our law office in Vancouver has extensive experience handling complex estate planning matters, including matters involving tax-sensitive planning.  For highly qualified, skilled attorneys, contact Marsh, Higgins, Beaty & Hatch, P.C. today for your estate planning, probate, and trust matters.