Many people procrastinate when it comes to making decisions about their death.  Since no one knows the future, those decisions are always better to be made now instead of later.  Even young parents need to make preparation for the sake of their children with respect to financial provision and guardianship in the event of a sudden catastrophic event.  Single adults need a medical and / or financial power of attorney if they incapacitated in order to make decisions on their behalf.  For a disabled adult child, parents need to appoint guardian to make decisions and a conservator to manage his or her assets and income.  Making preparation now will always make an unforeseen crisis in the future more bearable, and it will insure that your desires are honored in that moment.

A great percentage of all people die without making any preparation, and in those cases their estates must be sent to the probate court before they can be distributed to their descendants.   Other people create a will that turns out to be either insufficient or incomplete because of changes that have occurred in their lives since its signing, and those wills must also go to the probate court.   The goal of every estate and probate lawyer is to assist their clients in such a way that probating a will or an estate can be avoided and the plans of their clients can come to fruition without controversy.

A number of events create a need for an estate review: new marriage, new baby, new house, new divorce, new inheritance, major travel, death of a parent, imminent retirement.  Any and all of them should alert conscientious individuals to check previously made plans or write new ones.

Matthew E.P. Thornhill has the training and experience through his years as a judge to guide you through this important decision making process.  He recently attended the 2025 Estate, Trust, and Elder Law Institute to gain knowledge of the recent developments in probate law and sharpen his understanding of details that often go overlooked.  If you have no estate plan, no matter your age, or if you are unsure if your current will is still sufficient, or if you are facing probate litigation, call him to today for a consultation.  Put his knowledge and experience to work for you!