Practice Area
Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning
Flat-fee estate plans — wills, revocable trusts, trust creation and funding, durable and health care powers of attorney, and advance directives.
A good estate plan spares your family confusion and cost at the hardest possible time. The firm prepares complete North Carolina estate plans on a flat fee, so you know the price before the work begins. Every plan is drafted personally by Paul Scott Lipof and tailored to your family, your property, and your wishes.
What a plan includes
- Last will and testament — naming your executor, directing how your property passes, and, where minor children are involved, nominating a guardian.
- Revocable living trust — created and funded to keep your estate out of probate, manage assets if you become incapacitated, and pass property privately to your beneficiaries.
- Trust funding — the often-missed step of retitling real estate and accounts into the trust so the trust actually works as intended.
- Durable power of attorney — appointing someone to manage your finances if you cannot, under North Carolina’s Uniform Power of Attorney Act.
- Health care power of attorney and advance directive — naming your health care agent and recording your end-of-life wishes.
- HIPAA authorization — letting the people you trust speak with your providers.
Wills or a trust — which is right
A straightforward estate is well served by a will. A revocable trust earns its keep when you own real estate in more than one state, want to avoid probate, value privacy, or want a plan for incapacity. The firm will explain the trade-offs in plain terms and recommend the plan suited to your family — not the most expensive one.
Trust creation and ongoing work
Beyond the core plan, the firm creates and administers revocable and irrevocable trusts, prepares assignments and deeds to fund them, and helps successor trustees carry out their duties. If a trust later becomes contested, the firm also handles trust litigation — see Estate and Trust Litigation.
For Florida and Georgia families
Many clients own a mountain home here and a primary residence in Florida or Georgia. The firm coordinates North Carolina documents with an out-of-state plan and prepares the deeds needed to bring the mountain property into your trust.
Common Questions
Do I need a will or a trust?
A straightforward estate is well served by a will. A revocable trust earns its place when you own property in more than one state, want to avoid probate, value privacy, or want a plan for incapacity. The firm explains the trade-offs and recommends the plan suited to your family.
What does a flat-fee estate plan include?
A typical plan includes a will, a revocable living trust where appropriate, durable and health care powers of attorney, an advance directive, and a HIPAA authorization, with the price known before the work begins.
What is trust funding, and why does it matter?
Trust funding is the step of retitling real estate and accounts into your trust. Without it, the trust cannot control those assets, so funding is essential to making the plan work.
Can you coordinate with my plan in Florida or Georgia?
Yes. Many clients own a mountain home here and a primary residence in another state. The firm coordinates the North Carolina documents and prepares the deeds to bring the mountain property into your plan.