Estate Planning

Estate planning with the help of an experienced attorney is one of the most important things you can do for your loved ones. Poor planning (or no planning) will virtually always make life harder than necessary after your death or incapacity. Unfortunately, this critical planning is complicated—practically and legally—and our experience is that most people who undertake estate planning without an attorney make errors that can and sometimes do thwart their objectives—all to the detriment of those they love. We at Johnson Firm, have a wealth of experience counseling people in all sorts of situations with their estate plans. We are competent and competitively priced.

Estate lawyers are the true “family lawyers”. Whereas most people associate family lawyers with divorce and the dissolution of families, estate lawyers concern themselves with the preservation of families. We cannot overemphasize how frequently poor estate planning leads to conflict within families. In fact, most of the horror stories you probably have heard were preventable. We assist clients as they see to it that their families are provided for in whatever circumstances they find themselves. We help protect wealth, grow wealth, direct assets, prioritize the liquidation of various assets should creditors have claims against the estate, establish favorable tax positions, reduce the potential for probate litigation among your heirs, and provide peace of mind.

Legally, we do this through various configurations of wills, testamentary trusts, inter vivos trusts, charitable trusts, life insurance trusts, family limited partnerships, powers of attorney, healthcare powers of attorney, living wills, beneficiary deeds, and other tools. Practically, we do this through asking many questions, drawing on our experience, and taking the time to draft all estate documents well.

Estate planning is especially important for small business owners. Whether upon your death it is your intent to pass on your business to a family member, a willing buyer, a business partner, or to liquidate your business, it is imperative that you undertake thorough and precise estate planning. Because Johnson Firm routinely provides legal counsel to small business owners in Little Rock and the surrounding areas, we are uniquely qualified to provide legal counsel in areas where estate planning intersects with business law. Tools business owners can use for their estate planning include specialized provisions in their business’ operating agreements, their wills and trust, through buy-sell agreements, and other tools.