Wills & Estate
Last will and testament
Set out who inherits and who carries out your wishes.
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Planning your estate or writing a will
Setting out who receives what, who may act for you, and what should happen about your care.
Most people arrive asking for one document — a will, or a power of attorney. It is usually part of a set: who receives what, who can act for you if you cannot act for yourself, and what you want to happen about your care. The gaps between them are what cause trouble later.
What this can involveWhat it can involve
Does one of these sound like yours?
You don’t need to know the legal term for it. Start with what actually happened.
- A willWho receives what, who carries it out, and how to change it later without starting again.
- TrustsHolding something for someone else, now or later, rather than leaving it directly.
- Someone who can act for youNaming a person to deal with money, property or medical decisions if you cannot.
- Your wishes about careWhat you would and would not want, written down before anyone has to guess.
- Practical instructions for your familyWhere things are and who to contact — the part that is not legal but is always needed.
- After a deathEstablishing who the family members are when there is a question about it.
None of these quite right? You don’t have to pick one.
More than one area
One situation, more than one area of law.
Planning your estate or writing a will rarely sits in a single category. These are the areas it most often reaches, and why. You don’t have to pick one — the matter decides, not you.
Each one is a real page you can read before deciding anything.
Most oftenEstate Planning & WillsThe documents that say what happens to what you own, and who may act for you.
And often also
- Family LawWho is provided for, and the family arrangements that already affect it.
- Real Estate & PropertyProperty is usually the largest single thing in an estate.
- TaxHow an estate is arranged can carry tax consequences for whoever receives it.
- Disputes & LitigationWhen a will or an estate is contested by someone who expected more.
Documents
You may also need a document.
This is the situation with the most ready-to-use documents behind it, and the one guided builder that fits best.
Ready-to-Use Documents
Browse all estate documentsWills & Estate
Revocable living trust
Hold assets in a trust you can still change during your life.
Health Care Planning
Healthcare directive
Set out your healthcare wishes and who can speak for you.
Custom Documents
A financial power of attorney built from guided questions: you choose who is appointed, what they may do, and when the authority starts.
Personal & Family
Power of attorney
Name someone you trust to handle your finances if you can't, on terms you set.
Start buildingGuided online builder, available now for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Not sure where to start
Still not sure this is your situation?
Then don't pick one. Describe what's happening in your own words and we'll work out what it involves — and which areas of law it reaches.
Other situations
Is one of these closer?
Questions
Questions people ask at this point.
Get started
Tell us what’s happening. We’ll take it from there.
You don't need to know which area of law it is, or what the next step should be. Describe the situation and we'll work out what it involves.