Wills, Trusts and Probate are the core elements of our practice. We often utilize Wills to appoint guardians for minor children. However, using a Will alone is typically not advisable. We want to ensure that your family does not have to go through a probate process, so we often recommend the use of a Revocable Trust as the foundation of your estate plan. Revocable Trusts are flexible estate planning tools which can incorporate creditor protection, estate tax optimization, and control over your assets both during your lifetime and after death. Revocable Trusts, when properly administered, will also avoid probate. Probate is a court process to transfer assets to heirs or beneficiaries under a Will. Probate is costly, time consuming and typically avoidable. When working with clients during a probate proceeding, we strongly advise those clients to set up their own planning to avoid probate for their loved ones.