It takes more than a DIY will to create an accurate and effective estate plan in Louisiana.    You probably know that an estate plan is way more than will. In fact, it takes several documents & preparations, all working together, to create a successful estate plan for you and your loved ones. As a Louisiana estate planning lawyer, I help my clients find ways to take care of their loved ones and future generations. It’s important to me to make Louisiana estate planning as simple as possible. You can create a last will and testament, sign a power of attorney, and even write down yo ..read more

Having a successful estate plan means setting up a power of attorney - here’s everything you should know.    If you’re here, then you’re ready to do some estate planning. You might just starting the process, trying to figure out exactly what kind of estate plan you need. Or maybe you’re making necessary updates to you already existing estate plan as you enter a new life stage. Regardless of what you already have in place (or not), if you don’t already have a power of attorney set up, then that should be your next step. This is an often overlooked and misunderstood document that could ..read more

The family home is typically the only property left to satisfy Medicaid Estate Recovery as a result of being in the nursing home. Kids are sometimes shocked when their parents pass away and the family home is subject to a claim by the government, leaving them with a lot of frustration. When does this happen exactly? Short answer: it happens when Medicaid is involved. To learn more, read When Medicaid Comes After the Family Home, which contains several stories about families experiencing Medicaid estate recovery nightmares. Louisiana Medicaid has become more aggressive in recent years in clawi ..read more

In order to create a successful estate plan, you have to know exactly what you own (and what you owe).    When you think about estate planning, you’re probably thinking about your will. As in your last will and testament. Without doing any estate planning research, you could probably easily tell me what a will is and what it functionally does. And, in most cases, you’d probably be right. But, before diving into writing your will, or any other aspect of estate planning, you’re going to need to create an estate inventory. It’s important to understand exactly what you own, what you owe ..read more

A closer look at a Louisiana Declaration of Living Will and why it’s (so so) important.    Depending on who you ask, you’ll most likely get differing opinions on how important having a Declaration of Living Will is, especially when it comes to Louisiana estate planning. Some lawyers will emphatically support having a living will in your estate plan. They think it’s an indispensable part of your Louisiana estate plan. Other legal professionals, however, will say that it isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m more in the first boat than the latter. Howeve ..read more

If you live in Louisiana, then you’re no stranger to hurricanes. Starting June 1st, hurricane season officially starts. So, let’s talk about how to prepare yourself with best practices when it comes to your valuables - including your estate planning documents There’s not much we can do about hurricanes. But, there’s plenty we can do to prepare ourselves, just in case we get a big one this year. Many of you have evacuation plans, others have the go-to playlist for the shelter-in-place party. But, no matter how you choose to handle this time of year, it’s important to consider how you can keep ..read more

I've got some exciting news to share with you today. Addie Prewitt Law is merging with Spera Law Group. ? Joining another law firm was something I never envisioned. However, I didn’t count on finding other attorneys who, like me, are passionate about providing proactive client support and moving away from traditional billable hours and into a predictable pricing structure for clients. Andrew Legrand and his team at Spera Law embody this philosophy, and I'm excited to be part of this group. You might be wondering, "Okay, but what does this mean for me?" I'm here to tell you, it's all positive ..read more

Your Ultimate Guide to Understanding Property Ownership in Louisiana: Usufruct, Naked Ownership, and Beyond An estate plan is essentially a set of instructions for what you want to happen to your stuff when you’re no longer around. And these instructions are legally binding. As a Louisiana estate planning lawyer, it’s important to me that my fellow Louisianans fully understand the estate planning process. The best way to do that is to understand what you currently have, so you can make a plan for what the future might hold. Because here’s the bottom line: you can only give away what you actual ..read more

When it comes to Estate Planning, there is no crystal ball. My oldest son (6) has been taking taekwondo for over a year now. Recently, he’s been moved up into a sparring class with older kids because he is on the highest level of the kids’ belts (*gulp*). It’s the real deal, they put on full body gear: helmet, chest protector, gloves, padded shoes, and a cup (boy did that lead to some interesting conversations.)   When they spar, they step into the ring and try to hit certain parts of their opponent’s body without being blocked. If they land their punches, they get a point.  The ..read more

We need to talk about how important (and misunderstood) the role of a will’s executor is. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: an estate plan is WAY more than a will. However, having a will is a critical step to a successful estate plan. But, here’s the thing about an estate plan: you won’t be around to make sure everything goes smoothly. So, your focus should be on setting up a team that will be in charge of implementing your estate plan. The quarterback of that team is the executor of your will. While there are other players on the field, a well-prepared executor is the person who w ..read more