Philadelphia Estate Planning Lawyer
When setting up an estate plan, you need more than a will. A will can only specify how your assets are distributed in the event of your passing. To specify how you want to be taken care of if you are incapacitated, you need a power of attorney or living will.
We can help you with any power of attorney or living will. Our lawyer, Howard Hyman, has more than 27 years of experience helping the people of the Philadelphia area, including Western New Jersey. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation.
The Importance of Powers of Attorney
The Terry Schaivo situation of 2005 dramatized the importance of getting a living will and powers of attorney. People want and deserve privacy, dignity, and the ability to appoint who they want to do what they want in the event that they are left unable to take care of their own affairs.
Our lawyer can help you with:
- An advance health care directive, which plans for your medical care if you are incapacitated and can encompasses both a living will and a health care power of attorney
- A living will, which is the part of an advance health care directive that directs caregivers in certain decision, such as when to remove a feeding tube, etc.
- A health care power of attorney, which appoints a health care proxy to make any medical decisions on your behalf that are not covered by a living will.
- A legal power of attorney, which appoints someone to handle any legal decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated
- A guardianship, which will appoint someone to take care of the property and personal day-to-day affairs of someone who is unable to do so
In some ways, powers of attorney are even more important to have than a will. You will only pass away once, but you may become incapacitated several times in your life, and each time you will need a document specifying how your affairs should be handled.
And if you die without a will, the distribution of your estate will follow the state intestacy laws. There is no such provision in the event that you will not be able to take care of your own affairs.
Helping All Kinds of Families
When you are married, your spouse automatically carries some legal rights to make decisions if you are incapacitated. But at this writing, the law has no special provisions for members of homosexual relationships, people living together who are unmarried, etc. It is especially important for such people to formalize their wishes in powers of attorney and avoid any bitter disagreements among their various loved ones.
Contact Us
At Howard M. Hyman, Attorney at Law, we maintain a full-service estate planning. Contact us and set up a free initial consultation if you have any questions about any aspect of estate planning. Evening and weekend appointments are available, and we have translators for clients who speak Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Mandarin Chinese.
