Wills and Estate Planning
Basic Planning for Incapacity and Death: Simple Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Advanced Health Care Directives
Every adult, especially those living with HIV, should have documents that 1) appoint someone to make decisions about property and health care if they are unable to make these decisions for themselves, and 2) designate how their property is distributed after their death. Wills, powers of attorney and advanced health care directives empower and give peace of mind to our clients.
This basic estate planning presentation is intended for California lawyers with no prior knowledge or experience in estate planning and will cover: how to explain the purpose of these documents to our clients and obtain the information necessary to prepare the documents; a brief overview of probate and how to avoid it, including assets that are exempt from probate; a brief discussion of legal issues, including testamentary capacity and undue influence; when a client should be referred to an estate planning specialist; how to draft a will; how to prepare a statutory power of attorney; and how to prepare an Advanced Health Care Directive.