Wills Lawyer - Summerville, SC
The Leviner Law Firm is a probate and estate planning law firm in Summerville, SC.
Our wills attorneys have extensive experience helping members of our community navigate the stressful and confusing probate process, allowing you to focus on recovery and your family after the loss of a loved one while we handle the legal matters for you.
Probate administration is only one part of what we do, though. We are also available to draft simple or complex wills and to help our clients create comprehensive estate plans to accomplish their goals.
If you have any assets, children, or a spouse, you need a will that makes your wishes clear – even if you are young and healthy – in case the unexpected happens.
Whether you need to draft a simple will, craft a comprehensive estate plan to protect your assets, or review your existing will or estate plan, the wills lawyers at the Leviner Law Firm can help you.
The time to plan for the future, ensure your legacy, and protect your assets and your family is now and we can help.
WHAT Wills Attorneys/Estate Planning Lawyers CAN DO FOR YOU
Wills Attorneys/Estate Planning Lawyers Who Care
At the Leviner Law Firm, our wills lawyers help our clients to draft simple wills, complex wills, and comprehensive estate plans.
People in Summerville, SC, and the surrounding area turn to us when they need someone to trust with their future finances and the future stability of their children and families.
If you need a comprehensive estate plan to protect your assets and preserve them for future generations, our wills attorneys will help you to craft a detailed plan based on your unique circumstances in consultation with you, your spouse, and your financial advisors.
We can help you to accomplish your goals by combining the appropriate legal documents – creating trusts when needed, powers of attorney that only kick in when you become incapacitated, and a will that is tailored to your situation, taking into consideration the effects of estate taxes, gift taxes, and generation-skipping transfer taxes.
Do You Need a Will?
When is the right time to talk to a wills lawyer about your estate plan?
Now.
Whether you are older and tired of your children nagging you about executing or revising your will, or you are young and healthy and haven’t given it much thought before, odds are you need a will, even if it is a simple document identifying your beneficiaries or a guardian for your children.
We are only promised this moment, and having your affairs in order is an act of kindness to your family members.
If you do not have a will in place, the State of South Carolina will decide who gets your possessions according to the SC Probate Code. Your spouse will take your entire estate if you have no children. Your spouse will take one-half of your estate if you have children, while the children take equal shares of the remaining one-half. This can cause costly issues if your children are minors and you do not have a will.
None of your possessions will go to any other family members, friends, loved ones, or charities unless your spouse or children choose to give them away. If there are no statutory beneficiaries, the State of South Carolina will take your possessions.
How Can a Wills Attorney Help?
We care about our clients and their families, and it shows in our attention to detail. Our wills attorneys attorneys are prepared to help with all aspects of asset protection and probate administration, including:
- Simple wills,
- Complex wills,
- Estate planning,
- Asset protection plans,
- Business succession planning,
- Powers of attorney,
- Guardianships and conservatorships,
- Elder law services, and
- Special needs planning.
Whether you need a simple document identifying your beneficiaries or a complex estate plan crafted to avoid unnecessary taxes or to protect your assets from a spendthrift beneficiary, the wills attorneys at the Leviner Law Firm have the experience, knowledge, and resources to help you accomplish your goals.
Why Call the Leviner Law Firm?
When you call the wills lawyers at the Leviner Law Firm, you will get the personal attention that your matter deserves.
We will take the time to learn about you, your family, your current financial situation, your potential future financial situation, and your goals. Most importantly, we care about helping you realize your goals – just as our family is the most important thing in the world to us, we understand that your family’s financial future is the most important thing in the world to you.
Estate planning is not “one size fits all.” Attention to detail and knowing which documents will accomplish your goals are critical, and we do our best work when we listen and understand our clients’ goals.
Your wills attorney/ probate lawyer at the Leviner law firm will hear you, answer your questions, return your phone calls, and help you to preserve your legacy and accomplish your goals.
We Have Answers to Your Questions…
Q. When is a simple will good enough?
A. In every case, you want to keep your will as simple as possible. If your only goals are to identify your beneficiaries and who will receive specific possessions after your death, identify the executor for your estate, and appoint guardians for your children, a “simple will” is good enough to accomplish what you need.
If you have additional considerations like protecting a disabled child, preserving your assets from a spendthrift child, ensuring that your business assets remain in your family, or avoiding estate taxes, your wills attorney can help you to create a more comprehensive estate plan tailored to your unique circumstances and goals.
Q. Do wills expire?
A. Wills do not have an “expiration date.”
Once it is properly executed, your will remains valid until you change or revoke it. Many of our clients ask us to assist them in reviewing and revising their existing will or estate plan as their circumstances change – the newly executed will or addendum is then valid unless it is revoked or changed again at a later date.
Q. Do I need an attorney to write a will?
A. You do not need a wills attorney to draft or execute a will in South Carolina.
You do need an attorney if you want to ensure that your will is valid, properly executed, and contains the information required by SC law. You may need an attorney to advise you as to the most effective methods for asset preservation, business succession, special needs trusts, or other legal tools that are specific to your financial goals.
Your will and the legacy you leave for your heirs are too important to leave to chance. This is why people turn to the wills lawyers at the Leviner Law Firm when they are ready to draft a will or explore options for an estate plan.
Q. What happens if I don’t have a will when I die?
A. If you do not have a will, your possessions will pass “intestate” pursuant to SC’s Probate Code. Your possessions will pass to 1) your spouse if there are no children, 2) one-half to your spouse and one-half divided between your children, 3) to a series of heirs set out in the Probate Code based on their degree of relationship to you, or 4) to the State of South Carolina.
In the absence of a will, family members may turn on one another and fight over your possessions – even small memorabilia that they want to keep to remember you by. There is a much greater likelihood of lawsuits between your family members and disputes in the probate court as your estate is settled.
Q. Are wills kept private?
A. Before your death, your will is confidential and, if you do not voluntarily disclose its contents, protected by the attorney-client privilege. It is normal and acceptable for you to keep this information confidential, and you can rest assured that your attorney will not discuss the contents of your will or release information about your assets or your wishes.
Upon your death, if your case passes through the probate court, your will becomes a matter of public record that anyone can see. If your estate plan is carefully managed to keep your estate out of probate, however (which may or may not be possible), your will remains confidential and private, and only your beneficiaries and executor will be able to see it.
What Clients Say About Leviner Law Firm
Amanda Leviner is an ambitious woman of integrity and is passionate about her work. Her and her team work diligently on your behalf and maintain good communication with the client throughout the process.
Amanda is reliable and trustworthy in every sense of the word. She genuinely cares about her clients and the best possible outcome for the individual(s) involved. She is all heels and hustle!
Please be aware that any result achieved on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
Your Next Steps
1.
Schedule appointment
2.
DISCUSS YOUR SITUATION
3.
DECIDE TO WORK TOGETHER
Together we can decide if we’re a fit and if not, no hard feelings. Our office will refer you to someone who may be a better fit.
