FAMILY
Families have so many legal questions. “Should I write a Will?””I think my mother needs nursing home care, what should I do?””My daughter and her wife want to have a baby. Can they adopt?””My husband hasn’t paid child support in a month. What do I do? Freya Allen Shoffner, and the lawyers and staff at Shoffner & Associates know how to answer these questions. They take care of your family’s legal challenges so that you can take care of your family.
Everyone Needs An Estate Plan
If you get sick, who will feed your cat? Pick your daughter up at school? Pay your bills?
What if you’re in a fatal accident?
When you have a written plan to take care of those questions, you have an estate plan. Everyone needs one. Now is the time to make one. But how? Isn’t it complicated? What’s the difference between a Will and Living Will. What’s a Trust? Who do you trust? What is probate and why should you avoid it, or not?
Stop worrying and start doing. All you have to do is Call Us. We know how to make the estate planning process easy and effective. We’ll take good care of you.
What a scary word – Probate – everyone has horror stories about how the lawyers used up every cent of their relative’s money and after years of “probate” there wasn’t anything left for the family. Charles Dickens even wrote a whole book about it. The lawyers at Shoffner & Associates understand that grappling with the death of a loved one is terrible and that being inundated with a mountain of forms makes it all worse. That’s why we work with kindness, efficiency, and know-how through the court system so that you can focus on what’s more important – your family. Call Shoffner & Associates today. We’ll help.
Elder law covers all aspects of planning, counseling, education, and advocating for clients. Elder law attorneys are a resource to their clients because they understand their clients’ needs. The attorneys at Shoffner & Associates are connected to the local networks of professionals who serve the elder population and they stay informed about changes in the law that are important to their clients.
The attorneys at Shoffner & Associates who work in the field of elder law bring more to their practice than an expertise in the appropriate area of law. They also have knowledge of the senior population and their unique needs as well as the myths related to competence and aging. They are aware of the physical and mental difficulties that often accompany the aging process. Because of their broad knowledge base they are able to more thoroughly address the legal needs of their clients.
When planning an estate, Shoffner & Associates’ attorneys consider the health of the clients, the potential need for nursing home or other long term care, and the clients’ wishes and concerns. Our lawyers are committed to helping clients maintain financial independence if the time comes for long-term care. They plan for asset protection and the most effective use of public and private resources.
Taking care of your family the right way is the most important thing that you can do. Today, “taking care” is more complex than ever as the challenges to maintaining a family expand. The attorneys at Shoffner & Associates are ready and able to help you through all types of family-related issues and domestic relations that include determining whether a traditional marriage is right for you, the establishment and management of civil unions, and the creation of domestic partnership agreements. We understand and can help you resolve issues that arise during marriage, including legitimacy and adoption. And, we understand that sometimes a domestic relationship simply has to end. We work with our clients through negotiation, litigation, and resolution.Our attorneys handle the delicate legal and financial issues involved with divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, and contempt of court with sympathy and unsurpassed dedication.
Families come in all shapes and sizes. At Shoffner & Associates our lawyers work with:
- Unmarried heterosexual couples.
- Same-sex couples, both unmarried and married.
- Grandparents, aunts, and uncles raising children.
- Siblings who live together and raise children together.
- Married couples with children from previous marriages, adoption, and surrogate parents.
We celebrate our clients’ diversity and work to meet their particular needs. Our clients include heterosexuals, grandparents, stepparents, adoptive parents, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) individuals. We recognize that in many instances laws designed to protect traditional married couples actually penalize those who by choice, or by law, are not married. Nevertheless, we strive to find creative methods to use existing laws to protect our clients and to enforce their rights.
The law concerning non-traditional families and same-sex couples’ rights is in a constant state of flux. We know there is a great deal at stake for each of our clients. We understand the needs of nontraditional and LGBT families and work with them to ensure they have the rights they want and deserve.
Some of the areas where we can help include:
- Estate Planning for your non-traditional family.
- Protecting the family home.
- Protecting custody of the family’s children.
- Protecting the surviving partner in a non-traditional relationship.
- Protecting the rights of non-traditional family members to make medical and financial decisions for each other.
- Minimizing the risk of will contests.
- Having, adopting, or raising children.
- Dissolution of your domestic partnership or divorce.
- Alimony for same sex couples.
- Division of assets.
- Unique issues on child custody; residency, and taxation for same sex couples.
